“My mum’s strength, resilience and determination inspire me every day” – Steve’s London Marathon story

Steve Phillips will be celebrating his 50^th birthday by running the 2026 London Marathon to raise funds for our groundbreaking research. Motivated by the resilience of his mum, who has been diagnosed with four separate cancers over the last four years, he hopes to cross the finish line alongside his 18-year-old son, Ethan.

I will be turning 50 on the weekend of the London Marathon and Ethan turned 18 in January. We are both keen runners and had always planned to do a marathon together, so with us both celebrating significant milestones this year, it seemed the right time to take one on.

Our inspiration is my mum who has faced not just one, but four separate primary cancers in the last four years. In May 2022, she was diagnosed with breast cancer and subsequently discovered she also had separate primary cancers in the kidney and lung. She went through several major surgeries, including a mastectomy, partial nephrectomy and the partial removal of her lung – and in 2024, we were delighted when she received the news that she was in remission from them all.

However, shortly following this news, a routine scan revealed she had Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia (CLL). Heartbreakingly, she was told this was not curable, but she is able to live a reasonably normal life at the moment and hopefully will continue doing so for many years. Her strength, resilience and determination to keep fighting inspire me every day.  But sadly, too many families have to face similar challenges.

My mum has been lucky in that all her cancers have been identified and removed very quickly, giving her the best chance of a successful outcome. But I know that cancer can take many forms and while there have already been huge advances in identification techniques and treatments, we are still at the tip of the iceberg when it comes to beating this disease.

That is why Ethan and I have chosen to support The Institute of Cancer Research. Without further research, we will not be able to push forward in making new discoveries needed to unlock the complexities and nuances within the ecosystem of cancer.  We need more research to be able to treat the disease effectively and to hopefully prevent it in the future. Investment in cancer research has to be the right strategy. Prevention is better than cure.

I have been into endurance sports for many years and have run 10 different marathons, six full distance Ironman events and numerous other triathlons. But while Ethan has done several half-marathons, this will be his first full marathon.

We are training together when we can and trying our best to stay injury-free. We are hoping to complete the course in under two hours 50 minutes and have set ourselves the target of raising £5,000 for the ICR. If we can raise more than this, all the better.

Nothing would make me prouder than to support an amazing charity and to cross the finish line at the 2026 London Marathon together with my son - with my incredible mum, family and friends all there cheering us on.

To support Steve and Ethan and help raise funds for our vital research, please visit Steve and Ethan's fundraising page.