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Economic Times
a day ago
- Health
- Economic Times
BC man runs seven marathons in seven days to honor late father, raise cancer funds
Noah Allison runs along Highway 16 during his seven-marathon challenge in northern British Columbia Synopsis Noah Allison is running seven marathons in seven days across northern BC to honor his father, Markus, who passed away from cancer. This grueling challenge, called Miles for Markus, raises funds for the BC Cancer Foundation's Patient Relief Fund. Allison, who once weighed over 300 pounds, finds strength in his father's memory and the outpouring of support from donors. ADVERTISEMENT The wind comes in sharp from the Pacific as Noah Allison makes his way down Highway 16, the long, winding stretch that connects Prince Rupert to Terrace. This is the third straight day he's run 42.2 kilometers, the length of a marathon, and his body is starting to protest. 'I won't lie, it's been tough,' Allison told Global News while running. 'I've never felt the pains I've felt over the past few days before.' This is Allison's third Miles for Markus fundraiser, but this year's effort is his most ambitious, with seven marathon distances in seven consecutive days. His route covers the scenic but punishing northern BC terrain, taking him from Prince Rupert to Terrace and back, with each day bringing fresh challenges of fatigue, weather, and mental strain. The event is named in memory of his father, Markus Allison, who died in 2023 after a battle with cancer. Markus was present for the very first fundraiser, standing on the roadside, cheering and high-fiving his son at every opportunity.'I came around and he saw me still running and still moving,' Allison recalls. 'You could see the pride radiating from him. The last thing he ever said to me was how proud he was.' ADVERTISEMENT Just a few years ago, he weighed more than 300 pounds and led a sedentary lifestyle. That began to change when he entered an eight-kilometer race. 'I remember him saying, 'Eight kilometers, that's so far,'' Allison says, smiling at the memory. The transformation into an ultra-distance runner came gradually, fueled by determination and a growing sense of purpose. ADVERTISEMENT Running also became a form of therapy during his father's illness, a way to clear his head between long hours at the hospital. The Miles for Markus events have now raised just over CAD $14,000 for the BC Cancer Foundation's Patient Relief Fund, which supports patients with the day-to-day costs of treatment, travel, and recovery. ADVERTISEMENT Donations arrive steadily through Allison's Instagram account, @healingthroughendurance. 'Every time I look at my phone, I've got a new email notification for a new donation,' he says. 'It's really been going well, and it's humbling to see that kind of support.' Allison believes his father would be both proud and amused by his latest challenge. 'I know him well enough to know he would just go, 'You are absolutely insane,'' he says with a laugh. 'My mom and I have a good laugh thinking about how crazy he would think I was for doing this one.' ADVERTISEMENT (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel) (Catch all the US News, UK News, Canada News, International Breaking News Events, and Latest News Updates on The Economic Times.) Download The Economic Times News App to get Daily International News Updates. NEXT STORY
Time of India
2 days ago
- Health
- Time of India
BC man runs seven marathons in seven days to honor late father, raise cancer funds
Live Events From 300 pounds to marathoner What would Markus say? (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel The wind comes in sharp from the Pacific as Noah Allison makes his way down Highway 16, the long, winding stretch that connects Prince Rupert to Terrace . This is the third straight day he's run 42.2 kilometers, the length of a marathon, and his body is starting to protest.'I won't lie, it's been tough,' Allison told Global News while running. 'I've never felt the pains I've felt over the past few days before.'This is Allison's third Miles for Markus fundraiser, but this year's effort is his most ambitious, with seven marathon distances in seven consecutive days. His route covers the scenic but punishing northern BC terrain, taking him from Prince Rupert to Terrace and back, with each day bringing fresh challenges of fatigue, weather, and mental event is named in memory of his father, Markus Allison, who died in 2023 after a battle with cancer. Markus was present for the very first fundraiser, standing on the roadside, cheering and high-fiving his son at every opportunity.'I came around and he saw me still running and still moving,' Allison recalls. 'You could see the pride radiating from him. The last thing he ever said to me was how proud he was.'Just a few years ago, he weighed more than 300 pounds and led a sedentary lifestyle. That began to change when he entered an eight-kilometer race.'I remember him saying, 'Eight kilometers, that's so far,'' Allison says, smiling at the memory. The transformation into an ultra-distance runner came gradually, fueled by determination and a growing sense of also became a form of therapy during his father's illness, a way to clear his head between long hours at the Miles for Markus events have now raised just over CAD $14,000 for the BC Cancer Foundation 's Patient Relief Fund, which supports patients with the day-to-day costs of treatment, travel, and arrive steadily through Allison's Instagram account, @healingthroughendurance . 'Every time I look at my phone, I've got a new email notification for a new donation,' he says. 'It's really been going well, and it's humbling to see that kind of support.'Allison believes his father would be both proud and amused by his latest challenge. 'I know him well enough to know he would just go, 'You are absolutely insane,'' he says with a laugh. 'My mom and I have a good laugh thinking about how crazy he would think I was for doing this one.'
CBC
5 days ago
- Sport
- CBC
This Indigenous ultra-runner is running a marathon a day for seven days in memory of his father
A 28-year-old Tahltan-Tsimshian ultra-runner is running a marathon a day — for seven days straight. Noah Allison is running the third annual Miles for Markus campaign in memory of his father Markus, who died of bladder cancer in September 2023. Allison will be running about 300 kilometres this week from Prince Rupert to Terrace and back to raise funds for the B.C. Cancer Foundation's patient relief fund. With the support of a road crew and fellow runners who will join him on the way, Allison said the community around the event has grown every year. "Everyone I know has been touched by cancer in some way, so I know it's a really important issue to raise money for," he said. On his runs, Allison sometimes wears a Terry Fox basketball jersey. "I wear it with my cedar hat. They say it's my Indigenous Forrest Gump outfit," Allison said with a laugh. "So I'll say, hey, I'm Forrest Gump's Indigenous cousin, Cedar Gump." Allison's journey started Saturday and will run till Friday. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. How did your running journey start? I started my running journey as a way of supporting my best friend Britt. She started training for the New York Marathon. I wasn't in love with it until, unfortunately, I was in Prince George with my father and I could see the end was near. It became my daily escape from that dark world. I would be spending most of my time at the hospital and at his bedside and having a lot of tough times. I found that during my run, that was when I was having positive thoughts and actually dreaming of what I wanted to do in the future, rather than just thinking about how awful this time was. What was the first fundraiser like? As my father's health started to decline, I decided to go all in. I decided to run to Terrace from Prince Rupert. It's 144 kilometers away. I decided that was achievable, but also just crazy enough that I knew it would garner the reaction of: 'Like, what!? You're running to Terrace?' Because Rupertites drive to Terrace all the time, and it's an hour-and-a-half drive to get there. I knew it would have that crazy reaction that would help with fundraising. And I also knew that I could do it. The first two times you ran from Prince Rupert to Terrace. Now you're running to Terrace and back. Why the decision to double the journey? I've always loved to push the boundaries, and it's something that's inspired a lot of people. It's inspired me. And I've learned as I've grown through my running journey that if I haven't found my boundary yet, and if I thought that was impossible and I did it, then I need to ask what could the next step be? When I first started running, I thought a half-marathon was crazy and then a marathon was crazy. And I've now done a couple 50Ks, my longest being 52 kilometres, and I've kept moving forward still. I made it last year, and I was honestly feeling pretty good. So I decided, hey, why not? Why not try to go for it? What do you hope that people take away from your story, especially those that may be going through grief or caring for someone with an illness like cancer? Find something to be passionate about, as tough as it is. To keep moving forward. In life and in my long runs, I find inspiration from others and from the thought of Markus's strength and how far I've gotten with cancer fundraising. Those types of things have kept me going through the tough times. What do you think your dad would think now that you're continuing on this journey? I couldn't imagine what he would think about this. The promotion side of things has been crazy. The community has grown at each and every event — the number of people that have reached out to me, my mom, and just everyone involved. It's just been a whirlwind and I just couldn't imagine what he would have thought, because he was moved to tears daily just when he was out there the first year, and it's only gotten bigger since. What was your father's relationship to music? My father was a lifelong musician. Whenever you saw him throughout his life, he had his guitar with him. When he got diagnosed with cancer, he unfortunately had his leg amputated, which came with a lot of phantom pains. I remember so vividly the one day he said the only time that he's 100 per cent pain free is when he's playing music. … After his amputation, he wrote his song "One Good Leg." It was a personal song that he wrote himself, and he recorded it himself, did all the instruments, did everything. Then I helped him put it on Spotify and all platforms in the last week of his life. I can feel Markus with me in spirit every time I put on my running shoes, and I know for a fact he'll be out there every day.
CTV News
26-07-2025
- Health
- CTV News
Hundreds of cyclists set for Cypress Mountain trek to raise pancreatic cancer awareness
Anthony Thomas and his wife Carolyn are among the hundreds of cyclists tackling the Cypress Challenge this weekend to raise money for cancer research. Some 800 cyclists are preparing to trek up Cypress Mountain to raise money for pancreatic cancer research and care this weekend. For 18 years, the Cypress Challenge has taken place in West Vancouver and is said to have grown into the largest privately funded fundraising event for pancreatic cancer in Canada. On Sunday, dozens of teams will embark on the 12 km. journey up the steep terrain in an attempt to add to the more than $5.2 million raised over the years. The BC Cancer Foundation estimates around 800 British Columbians will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer this year, and it's projected that only 10 per cent of them will live another five years after that. West Vancouver resident and cyclist Anthony Thomas was diagnosed with the disease on Labour Day last year. Thomas explained to CTV News on Friday that he began feeling a sharp pain in his lower back while on a road trip back from B.C.'s Interior and was struck with nausea and felt ill. His wife Carolyn urged him to pull over and find care in Whistler, where they rushed to the emergency department. Thomas explained that after receiving tests, they found he had kidney stones, but also discovered masses on his pancreas and liver. After an MRI he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. 'It's been a challenging year, for sure, because I felt completely normal and fine,' said Thomas. He was diagnosed with neuroendocrine pancreatic cancer, a form he was told is rare but manageable. 'It's still bad, it's pancreatic cancer, but there are much better chances of getting through it,' said Thomas. 'When I found that out I really felt like I'd won the lottery.' Since the diagnosis, Thomas and his family have raised more than $50,000 for pancreatic cancer research and are looking to grow that number this weekend during the Cypress Challenge. Donations can be made on the Cypress Challenge website.
Hamilton Spectator
15-07-2025
- Health
- Hamilton Spectator
West Vancouver family cycling Cypress to raise funds for cancer research
A West Vancouver family will soon bike up a local mountain for pancreatic cancer research. Anthony Thomas, his wife Carolyn Bliss and their daughter Emily Thomas will be pedalling 12 kilometres up Cypress Bowl Road as part of the annual Capilano Volkswagen Cypress Challenge, raising funds for pancreatic cancer research at BC Cancer. 'I felt like it was a good idea that we do this,' Thomas said, after hearing about the challenge through Maddi, his eldest daughter who will be cheering them on the sidelines. 'Everybody in the family was all for it, so we decided to join on.' The challenge is a personal one for the family. When Anthony and Carolyn were driving back from the B.C. Interior over the Labour Day weekend, he started to feel intense pain in his lower back. Carolyn urged him to get it checked out. They stopped at a hospital in Whistler, where doctors took a CT scan and found a kidney stone, but also two masses on Anthony's pancreas and liver. After an MRI scan, doctors discovered Stage 4 pancreatic cancer. 'Things looked really, really bad,' Anthony said. Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest cancers due to few symptoms appearing in the first stages , making it more challenging to diagnose early. The Canadian Cancer Society estimated in 2024 that 7,100 Canadians would be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, and 6,100 will die from the disease. For pancreatic cancer, the five-year survival rate is 10 per cent . However, hope turned around for Anthony after a biopsy. Doctors found a neuroendocrine cell, which has a better prognosis. 'It was a big lift for me,' he said. 'I really started focusing on trying to get better because up until then, it just seemed like a doomsday scenario.' Anthony then had surgery in November, removing most of the cancer. The family feels thankful for the positive trajectory, but also the amount of support they've received from the community. 'It was great to have friends and community and good doctors around to support us,' Carolyn said. 'Especially in that first month when we thought it was terminal, it was quite overwhelming.' Maddi and Emily echoed their mom's thoughts, saying they admire their dad's resilience. 'It's really brought us all much closer together in a way,' Maddi said. 'I think it makes you just feel much more grateful for life, and the ability to spend time together.' As the days count down for the challenge, the family is practicing biking up and down the route, so they'll be ready to go on July 27. Since the challenge launched in 2008, cyclists have raised more than $5.2 million to support more pancreatic cancer research through the BC Cancer Foundation. The Thomas family has raised more than $44,000 to go towards pancreatic cancer research. People interested in donating to the family can do so on the Cypress Challenge website . Abby Luciano is the Indigenous and civic affairs reporter for the North Shore News. This reporting beat is made possible by the Local Journalism Initiative . Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
