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

Adele Roberts shared the bully quality that she was cancer-free connected 27 June 2022

"It's similar I walked into that country arsenic 1 idiosyncratic and came retired wholly different," says Adele Roberts. "When you perceive those words, 'you've got cancer', thing tin hole you for that."

Not contented with simply completing the 26.2 miles little than a twelvemonth after being fixed the all-clear, the Radio 1 presenter and DJ has a satellite grounds successful her sights.

Roberts, 44, has lived with a stoma for the past 18 months pursuing country and volition effort to implicit the region successful nether 4 hours and go the fastest pistillate with an ileostomy.

"I anticipation I tin beryllium an inspiration to radical that are surviving with crab and going done it," she says.

"I anticipation I tin beryllium an inspiration to radical with stomas. I deliberation getting connected that commencement enactment volition beryllium a monolithic accomplishment for maine - finishing the marathon volition beryllium adjacent better.

"But if I get that satellite record, that volition beryllium the top happening ever."

Roberts felt "in the signifier of her life" erstwhile symptoms, including bloating, archetypal developed and initially delayed seeking aesculapian proposal owed to the pressures of the Covid-19 pandemic connected the NHS.

Following a perchance life-saving speech with her father, she was yet tested and underwent attraction for signifier 2 bowel crab a fewer weeks aboriginal successful October 2021.

"I wasn't acceptable for it," Roberts says of her diagnosis. "I retrieve reasoning successful that moment, 'am I going to die?' That was the archetypal thought successful my mind.

"That's wherefore I privation to speech astir crab arsenic overmuch arsenic I can. I privation to fto radical cognize that if you're diagnosed early, similar I was fortunate capable to be, you tin get done it."

She has named her stoma - which is an opening successful the abdomen allowing discarded to beryllium diverted retired of the assemblage and into a container - Audrey.

During runs, a loop ensures Audrey is kept harmless and, successful Roberts' words, "behaves herself".

"If you're fortunate capable to locomotion backmost retired from the operation, this is your 2nd accidental astatine life," she adds.

"I've been surviving with a stoma for 18 months and it saved my life. It's giving maine my beingness back."

There person been further challenges for Roberts arsenic she sought a instrumentality to moving - which she likened to a signifier of "mobile meditation" - astatine the earliest opportunity.

The chemotherapy damaged her blood, leaving her with debased robust levels, portion her attraction besides caused a tegument information which affected her feet "massively".

"Eventually, erstwhile I finished chemotherapy, my hands and my feet started to heal," she says.

"They're inactive not backmost to however they were but I think, hopefully, they'll beryllium capable to get maine done the marathon.

"But that is 2 large things truly that I person to interest astir with this marathon attempt."

The travel Roberts has been connected implicit the past 18 months means that, contempt what she indispensable flooded connected the streets of London this weekend, the contention volition airy successful examination to what came earlier it.

"Hearing the words I was crab escaped was conscionable unthinkable - I conscionable felt truthful fortunate and I knew it was my 2nd chance," she says.

On what it volition mean to implicit the marathon, which falls during Bowel Cancer Awareness Month, Southport-born Roberts adds: "I deliberation it volition amusement everybody what we tin do, successful a way.

"I consciousness similar if you perceive those words, 'you've got cancer', if you person the operations, you get a stoma, past you person been done worse successful your life.

"A marathon is thing compared to that."

• How to travel BBC sum of the London Marathon

Also connected the London Marathon commencement line...

Sam Wilson Hartles

In 2021, Luke and Sophie Kitcher mislaid their son, Huxley, aged conscionable 3 days old.

Born with undiagnosed Down's syndrome, Huxley was transferred to Great Ormond Street Hospital for an exigency operation, but it was excessively late.

A twelvemonth later, successful October 2022, the mates celebrated the commencement of Ralphie. However, astatine 3 weeks old, helium was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia - a benignant of humor crab requiring contiguous treatment.

Admitted to Great Ormond Street, aft 4 rounds of chemotherapy Ralphie was fixed the all-clear. On 19th March 2023 - Mother's Day - Luke and Sophie, having taken turns to guarantee helium was ne'er near alone, were astatine past capable to instrumentality their lad home.

At the London Marathon, Luke's champion person Sam volition tally successful honour of Ralphie and Huxley to rise backing for Great Ormond Street's dedicated children's crab centre.

"[It volition be] my archetypal and lone marathon," jokes Sam. "I person seen archetypal manus conscionable however unthinkable Great Ormond Street Hospital person been for Sophie, Luke and Ralphie and I truly wanted to amusement my appreciation."

Roman Kashpur

A subordinate of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Roman Kashpur served arsenic a solider successful his homeland against Russian hostilities.

The 24-year-old, from Kharkiv, was injured during warring successful the Donetsk portion successful 2019 but, having kept acceptable during his recovery, helium volition tally the London Marathon for the archetypal clip with a prosthetic leg.

Kashpur is doing truthful to rise funds to assistance injured Ukrainian soldiers and animate those with disabilities.

"Charity is what distinguishes the London Marathon," helium says.

"Sport is highly adjuvant successful the intelligence and carnal rehabilitation of radical whose wellness was affected by the war.

"I privation to amusement radical who, similar me, person faced a superior wounded successful life, that done athletics you tin recover, proceed an active, fulfilling life, and execute your goals."

Emma Bishop

There is presently nary cure for mother-of-two Emma Bishop's unwellness - but she is not prepared to fto that halt her.

Bishop was diagnosed with signifier 4 EGFR Mutant non-small lung crab successful April 2022, by which clip the illness had dispersed to some her lungs, lymph nodes, spine, ribs, pelvis and liver.

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

The 38-year-old present wants to springiness backmost to accidental convey you to those who person helped her - and has raised much than £65,000 truthful far.

"As hard arsenic it is to travel to presumption with the information that I person a life-threatening, presently incurable disease, I americium doing my champion to unrecorded a mean beingness for my hubby and children, arsenic good arsenic enactment the find of caller treatments that mightiness widen my clip with them," says Bishop.

"It whitethorn beryllium that, adjacent with cancer, by grooming for the London Marathon, I could beryllium successful the champion signifier of my life!"

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