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100 5k Your Way Groups!

As 5k Your Way reaches the milestone of 100 groups, Operational Officer Gillian Russell shares the remarkable story of a community initiative that’s changing lives for those living with and beyond cancer…

“Back then I would host sleepovers the night before; my way of guaranteeing people came along to the support group I desperately needed”. Nottingham 5k Your Way ambassador Lizzie recalls those early days of the first group. “After spending hours researching how to manage the side effects of treatment, visiting other support groups, convincing my friends and family it was ok to exercise, I knew it was crucial to connect to others who share this same desire to focus on what we could do”.

It’s a sentiment echoed by 25-year-old Conan, who was persuaded by his cancer nurse and his girlfriend Milly to try the 5k Your Way group at Glasgow’s Elder Park parkrun. “During cancer treatment I’d had heart failure, I struggled to walk and my confidence was low and now here I was managing to walk 5k! I felt really proud of myself and in the car on the way home Milly burst into tears, as did my mum later on!”

There are hundreds of similar stories about the impact of 5k Your Way. Six years ago oncologist and former professional triathlete Dr Lucy Gossage had a lightbulb moment. “The idea for 5k Your Way came when I was working with some teenage and young adult patients. Many of these patients receive long, tough courses of chemotherapy. During treatment they do little other than sit in their hospital room. After treatment we offer little to help them regain their fitness. I wanted to set up something that would help change this. I knew that the best way to instigate change would be by including healthcare professionals in the change. What better way to do this by creating a community within the wonderful community that is parkrun?” So, alongside Gemma Hillier-Moses, who founded Move Against Cancer charity two years previously, they created 5k Your Way. Since launching that first group in Nottingham the initiative has grown across the UK and Ireland and this month reaches the milestone of 100 groups, with new ones launching in Bristol and Croydon. “I’m excited to be launching the 100th group at Lloyd Park, Croydon”, says Claire. “My family and I have felt hugely supported by the Nonsuch group and I’m looking forward to doing the same for others in the Croydon community”.

A sea of blue on the last Saturday of the month. Hoodies and t-shirts, bright and bold, with memorable words on the back: The best project you’ll ever work on is you! An army of over 500 volunteer ambassadors across the country – people living with and beyond cancer, family, friends and healthcare professionals – make 5k Your Way happen. They’re from all walks of life and all have their own ‘why’. But what they have in common is a passion for movement and for sharing its benefits. Tony has incurable cancer. “When I was diagnosed I instinctively knew that I needed to take control of the cancer and not be controlled by it and that exercise had to be a big part of it. Back then though there was nothing like 5k Your Way so I had to go it alone. A year later I heard about 5k Your Way and it seemed to me to be a perfect way to help others take control of their cancers like I had mine and I asked if I could start a group at Wilmslow. We have now had hundreds of people join us there”. Dan, an ambassador in Lincoln, reflects on just how important the group is to him. “At a time in my life where everyone told me to rest and hide from the world while I started dealing with my cancer, 5k Your Way gave me the permission, motivation and drive to keep active”. Dan recently completed the Edale Skyline challenge – a 20 mile trek in the Peak District – with others from the Move Against Cancer community. Lucy picks up on this theme. “The ripple effect of 5k Your Way spreads far beyond the groups themselves. Simply by existing we are showcasing what is possible with cancer and we’re challenging the myth that ‘rest is best’”.

Andrea, who attends the group in Kilmarnock, loves that it’s all about you. “5k YOUR Way – exactly what it says on the tin. You can run, jog, walk or stroll, all at YOUR own pace. I have walked the 5k twice now and felt so much better afterwards”. In Naas even the unpredictable weather doesn’t dampen Sean’s enthusiasm. “Let me tell you a recovering cancer patient will never complain about the weather! Come along on a Saturday and feel the warmth and sunshine inside!” Countless ambassadors and participants, like Valerie from Pontypridd, enthuse not just about the physical benefits of movement but about the mental health impact too: “It is very good for our mental health. It makes us laugh. It gives us a life without cancer. This group helps us to feel normal”.

While the physical and mental health benefits of movement are celebrated, so too is the sense of belonging. “For me 5k Your Way is about the friendship and support this amazing community offers”, says Sarah from Shrewsbury. Everyone will tell you that 5k Your Way is one great big family. As Kev from the Swansea Bay group said when they launched earlier this year: “As a group we will be so strong we’re probably going to be having Christmas dinner together in the future!”

Back in Nottingham, where it all began, Lizzie recalls the first time Nikki completed a 5k Your Way “proudly bald, looking as though she’d just stuck two fingers up to cancer”. Yesss!

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5k Your Way, an initiative run by Move Against Cancer charity, is now at 100 designated parkruns across the UK and Ireland. For more information or to find your nearest group go to: https://www.moveagainstcancer.org/