London Marathon 2023: Radio 1’s Adele Roberts targets a world record following ‘second chance’ after cancer

Date: Sunday, 23 April Times: 09:15 BST wheelchair races, 09:25 BST elite women, 10:00 BST elite men and masses
Coverage: Live on BBC TV, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website and BBC Sport mobile app from 08:30 with coverage of the finish line on digital services until 18:00

“It’s like I walked into that room as one person and came out completely different,” says Adele Roberts. “When you hear those words, ‘you’ve got cancer’, nothing can prepare you for that.”

Not content with simply completing the 26.2 miles less than a year after being given the all-clear, the Radio 1 presenter and DJ has a world record in her sights.

Roberts, 44, has lived with a stoma for the past 18 months following surgery and will attempt to complete the distance in under four hours and become the fastest female with an ileostomy.

“I hope I can be an inspiration to people that are living with cancer and going through it,” she says.

“I hope I can be an inspiration to people with stomas. I think getting on that start line will be a massive achievement for me – finishing the marathon will be even better.

“But if I get that world record, that will be the greatest thing ever.”

Roberts felt “in the shape of her life” when symptoms, including bloating, first developed and initially delayed seeking medical advice due to the pressures of the Covid-19 pandemic on the NHS.

Following a potentially life-saving conversation with her father, she was eventually tested and underwent treatment for stage two bowel cancer a few weeks later in October 2021.

“I wasn’t ready for it,” Roberts says of her diagnosis. “I remember thinking in that moment, ‘am I going to die?’ That was the first thought in my mind.

“That’s why I want to talk about cancer as much as I can. I want to let people know that if you’re diagnosed early, like I was lucky enough to be, you can get through it.”

She has named her stoma – which is an opening in the abdomen allowing waste to be diverted out of the body and into a bag – Audrey.

During runs, a belt ensures Audrey is kept safe and, in Roberts’ words, “behaves herself”.

“If you’re lucky enough to walk back out from the operation, this is your second chance at life,” she adds.

“I’ve been living with a stoma for 18 months and it saved my life. It’s giving me my life back.”

There have been further challenges for Roberts as she sought a return to running – which she likened to a form of “mobile meditation” – at the earliest opportunity.

The chemotherapy damaged her blood, leaving her with low iron levels, while her treatment also caused a skin condition which affected her feet “massively”.

“Eventually, when I finished chemotherapy, my hands and my feet started to heal,” she says.

“They’re still not back to how they were but I think, hopefully, they’ll be able to get me through the marathon.

“But that is two big things really that I have to worry about with this marathon attempt.”

The journey Roberts has been on over the past 18 months means that, despite what she must overcome on the streets of London this weekend, the race will pale in comparison to what came before it.

“Hearing the words I was cancer free was just incredible – I just felt so lucky and I knew it was my second chance,” she says.

On what it will mean to complete the marathon, which falls during Bowel Cancer Awareness Month, Southport-born Roberts adds: “I think it will show everybody what we can do, in a way.

“I feel like if you hear those words, ‘you’ve got cancer’, if you have the operations, you get a stoma, then you have been through worse in your life.

“A marathon is nothing compared to that.”

Also on the London Marathon start line…

Sam Wilson Hartles

In 2021, Luke and Sophie Kitcher lost their son, Huxley, aged just three days old.

Born with undiagnosed Down’s syndrome, Huxley was transferred to Great Ormond Street Hospital for an emergency operation, but it was too late.

A year later, in October 2022, the couple celebrated the birth of Ralphie. However, at three weeks old, he was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia – a type of blood cancer requiring immediate treatment.

Admitted to Great Ormond Street, after four rounds of chemotherapy Ralphie was given the all-clear. On 19th March 2023 – Mother’s Day – Luke and Sophie, having taken turns to ensure he was never left alone, were at last able to take their son home.

At the London Marathon, Luke’s best friend Sam will run in honour of Ralphie and Huxley to raise funding for Great Ormond Street’s dedicated children’s cancer centre.

“[It will be] my first and only marathon,” jokes Sam. “I have seen first hand just how incredible Great Ormond Street Hospital have been for Sophie, Luke and Ralphie and I really wanted to show my appreciation.”

Roman Kashpur

A member of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Roman Kashpur served as a solider in his homeland against Russian hostilities.

The 24-year-old, from Kharkiv, was injured during fighting in the Donetsk region in 2019 but, having kept fit during his recovery, he will run the London Marathon for the first time with a prosthetic leg.

Kashpur is doing so to raise funds to help injured Ukrainian soldiers and inspire those with disabilities.

“Charity is what distinguishes the London Marathon,” he says.

“Sport is extremely helpful in the psychological and physical rehabilitation of people whose health was affected by the war.

“I want to show people who, like me, have faced a serious injury in life, that through sport you can recover, continue an active, fulfilling life, and achieve your goals.”

Emma Bishop

There is currently no cure for mother-of-two Emma Bishop’s illness – but she is not prepared to let that stop her.

Bishop was diagnosed with stage four EGFR Mutant non-small lung cancer in April 2022, by which time the disease had spread to both her lungs, lymph nodes, spine, ribs, pelvis and liver.

She has since been treated by The Royal Marsden, with targeted therapy successfully shrinking the cancer.

The 38-year-old now wants to give back to say thank you to those who have helped her – and has raised more than £65,000 so far for the The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity.

“As hard as it is to come to terms with the fact that I have a life-threatening, currently incurable disease, I am doing my best to live a normal life for my husband and children, as well as support the discovery of new treatments that might extend my time with them,” says Bishop.

“It may be that, even with cancer, by training for the London Marathon, I could be in the best shape of my life!”

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