Comparing the pain of blisters and a sore heel to how he felt after chemotherapy treatment spurred on a cancer survivor during a fundraising ultramarathon.
The pain was worth it, as David Barrow not only completed a personal challenge but also raised more than £3,500 for Bowel Cancer UK after running more than 107km in the Isle of Wight Ultra Challenge last weekend.
Mr Barrow challenged himself to the gruelling run just a year after a course of chemotherapy, having been diagnosed with bowel cancer in December 2024.
He has just published the second volume of a journal, which charts his treatment, called “The Fog of Chemotherapy”, the first instalment having been called “Oh Sh!t – I’ve Got Bowel Cancer”.
Running alongside Mr Barrow was his “long-time mate and motivator” Wayne Benson.
They started the run at 7.30am last Saturday morning and with head torches on, crossed the finish line at 3.30am the following day.
The pals battled torrential rain, cliff paths, pitch-black fields and “serious” blisters along the way and both required emergency strapping from course medics before switching shoes and running the final stretch to the line.
Mr Barrow, (47), said: “It was quite the day and night. We had bright sunshine, which gave us heat that made it terrible to run the hills in; after lunch we had torrential rain and serious blisters, and after dark, pitch-black cliff paths and a staircase somewhere around 90km that I won’t forget in a hurry.
“I needed strapping from a course medic at 81km, Wayne needed the same at 95km, and we ended up switching both our shoes and socks for the final stretch – but we got there.”
He added: “This time last year, I was finishing chemotherapy. I have to say, sore feet and shot legs feel like a very good trade.”
Mr Barrow described what happened – and what his thoughts were – during the ultramarathon.
“At around 68 kilometres, with my heel split open, I kept repeating a mantra a mate gave me — ‘take four steps. Just four steps, then four more’.
“When even that felt hard, I thought about the hospital corridors 15 months ago, pacing them the day after surgery with a dead leg. I thought about chemo. A sore heel on the Isle of Wight was never going to be as bad as that.”
He was still recovering from the run last week.
“I’m in pain,” he admitted last Tuesday, with his feet still bandaged following the Isle of Wight slog.
“But it’s never going to be as bad as chemo. And this time a year ago, that’s exactly the state I was in. That’s why we ran.”
Their crowdfunding page remains open at justgiving.com/page/darbarrow
(Photo: David Barrow).
