On the 6th November 2014 Kevin, age 49, was told that he had what is called “effectively terminal” (T4 advanced) prostate cancer and may only live 2 years, 3 or 4 if he was lucky.
“Here I am 10 years on, way past my use by date, having run over 16,000 miles in places like the Sahara, the Arctic, Cambodia, Jordan, Iceland etc etc, always fundraising and maybe inspiring?”
“Every day I now see as a gift and if you have a gift it would be rude to not use it,
to leave it unwrapped, in a dark corner of a cupboard.”
Kevin Webber
Kevin is continuously raising funds to battle the biggest cancer affecting men – prostate cancer.
“After the initial shock and emotion I came to realise that what life I still have is there for living. In the time that I have I believe that I have a duty to create the best memories I can for my family and friends, whilst doing all I can to raise awareness and money for Prostate Cancer UK. This is so that my sons, brother, nephew, friends, colleagues… your sons, fathers, brothers, you and the ladies who support you in any way do not have to go through or witness a man dying of this indiscriminate disease.”
“So for 2018, I set myself some serious challenges; completing the Likeys Yukon 6633 Ultra, pulling a sledge inside the Arctic Circle in temperatures below -30c; 2 weeks later to the Sahara to compete in the Marathon Des Sables for a third time. That’s another 250k carrying all your supplies for the week on your back where the temperature exceeds 50c (hence the 100 degrees of separation).
“I don’t believe that this has ever been done before by someone with T4 cancer and to be able to complete both events has been something that has made me proud… but also I’m determined to not stop there, so new challenges will be announced very, very soon!”
“After my diagnosis, I was looking for a way to prove – to myself and others – that I could still do things. I ran a few marathons, did some longer races, and then my wife encouraged me to pursue my dream of the Marathon De Sables. The week-long 156-mile race across the Sahara is like Everest to a climber, it’s the best thing you can do as a runner.
It became something to look forward to at the end of a year of pretty much hell for me. There were days when I’d feel low but could forget it while I was training or buying some kit or improving my understanding of nutrition. All of it distracted me from the reality of what is sadly to come. Even if I could only manage a couple of miles’ running, it made me feel sweaty and alive.
Being on the start-line of the Marathon de Sables was such an achievement. I never thought I’d get there and didn’t really care what happened next. But then I switched my attention to just finishing.”
“In all aspects of my life, I have always believed that if you only do what you have done before that is not progress, additionally, I have always had an aversion to false accolades. Having said that, its really about self actualization; that is, me knowing that when it came to it, I pushed myself and did the best that I could in any given situation.”
“As at February 2019 I feel physically 95% and that is good enough for me to crack on and try to better what I have done before. Running is also the thing that keeps me at 95% mentality or above. Before I believed I could run again I was at my lowest ebb in life, teetering into the minus percentage at times,” he said.
Kevin is a big believer in the healing power of running. Indeed, small medical studies have proven physical exercise can make chemotherapy more effective.
Kevin also avoids alcohol, dairy, and eats copious amounts of fruit and vegetables. Each morning, he swallows a concoction of Chinese herbs which he likens to “drinking mud” and he has regular acupuncture sessions. “I can’t tell you if it makes any difference or not but I’m still here and once you’ve outlived what people have said you would live then you don’t really want to stop doing anything that you’re doing,” he says.
“And if anyone asks me what they should do if their own situation is suffocating them, then I just say this; find those things in life that make you smile, give you zest, that encourage you to be more positive… and pursue them. Even if it seems silly or unimportant to others or even yourself at times, if it has a positive effect then do it. It will lead you to a better place than the one you’re in right now and that, quite simply, is progress and you have no way of knowing what doors it will open up in the future, you really, really don’t!!
1 in 8 men in the UK will get prostate cancer, it’s the biggest male cancer and a man dies every 45 minutes of it. Since his diagnosis, Kevin has raised more than £1 million for cancer charities by completing his challenging, often grueling, fundraising expeditions from ultramarathons to mountain climbs.
He also wrote a book about his journey, called “Dead Man Running: One Man’s Story Of Running To Stay Alive”, and in 2020, he was awarded a British Empire Medal in the Queen’s Birthday Honours for his services to people with cancer.
Next up will be the Ice Ultra, a five-day 230km arctic ultra marathon in the Swedish Lapland. Kevin will run in -40C temperatures for Prostate Cancer UK from February 18-20, 2025.
