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New York Post
How inspirational ‘King of Chemo’ turned terminal brain cancer and a year left to live into 15 finished marathons
By Alex Mitchell,
5 hours ago
Iain Ward was told he’d be dead in a year — so why does he feel so alive?
The 35-year-old fitness trainer, who’d worked a lifetime to keep trim and healthy, saw his world come crashing down after a shock diagnosis of terminal brain cancer in 2019.
But instead of giving up, the grim news inspired him, he said, to live as much and as meaningfully as he can, running marathons and raising money for research.
“I’ve got a short shelf life. I was dealt a s–tty hand, but there are ways I can use that,” Ward told The Post.
Iain Ward, a 35-year-old fitness coach, has already raised half a million dollars on his total goal of about $3M. He would even train by running seven miles to the hospital administering his chemotherapy. courtesy of Iain Ward
The unlucky Irishman, now living in London, recounted that within hours of receiving the painful diagnosis, he began researching how a person might monetize marathoning. He was inspired to learn that one runner had at one point raised $3 million via corporate sponsorships — but he was certain he could do better, and hopes to break a donation world record.
And so, he’s been going full speed ahead since Day 1, or as fast as he someone can while undergoing cancer treatments. As a man on a mission, Ward has now participated in 15 marathons, even if sometimes he ends up walking.
“The whole point of it [is] doing things that are not [typically] stereotyped for people with cancer,” he said. “The things that make people say, ‘Hey wait a minute, he’s not supposed to be doing that! He’s supposed to be in a bed, looking sad.'”
Online, he’s become known as the “King of Chemo” with over 6M followers. courtesy of Iain Ward @thekingofchemo
My life has never had more purpose and focus. It’s mad to say getting terminal brain cancer was a gift, but it led so quickly and directly to the most satisfying time of my life. I don’t give a shit about the fame or notoriety, I just want to achieve something hard and meaningful, and it’s satisfying to do it in a completely unique way. I only get companies to donate to the charity, NOT YOU. All I need from you is to follow this channel, so it’s more attractive to get sponsors, and they donate to charity instead of paying me to advertise on the big channel. I’m the only person raising money that way. If you already follow this account, please continue bombarding the comment section to help boost this video. Because it helps so much. I swear to god I’m not exaggerating when I say you are the difference in me being a frustrated dying man, and a soul of unquestionable drive and focus. That’s a very profound wanky thing to say, but it doesn’t matter it an iota less true. Thank you all for making my last footprints on this earth meaningful. If it’s only going to be a year left, I’m ok with that. #inspiration #motivationalvideo #nobreaks #onegoal #olympics #olympicgames #paris2024 #sports #marathon #running #100meters #athletics #focus #drive #lifegoal
The former gaming influencer — Ward proudly sports the Rebellion symbol from “Star Wars” as a tattoo — has also become something of a social media hero, earning himself 5.5 million followers on TikTok and another 6.7 million on Instagram . Friends began calling him the “King of Chemo” — and the internet soon became his loyal subjects.
But for this accidental royal, the crowning achievement will come in November, when Ward will run seven races in seven days across seven continents — including the NYC Marathon — to rally more folks behind his noble cause, even with the clock ticking louder every month.
“The doctors originally said that I have a life expectancy of about five years and we’re coming up on a year to go,” Ward shrugged.
He’s so far run 15 marathons since his late 2019 diagnosis and will be in the NYC Marathon this fall. courtesy of Iain Ward
“We’re going to be starting off in Antarctica, sleeping on the plane.”
The healthy gym habitue was blindsided by the bad news. Doctors noticed signs of a tumor while screening him for a medical trial and it turned out to be fatally malignant.
While fighting through cancer has been anything but easy, the same goes for long-distance racing and each day brings its own set of unique challenges.
Ward worked a lifetime to keep trim and healthy, but received a shock diagnosis of terminal brain cancer in 2019. courtesy of Iain Ward
But Ward had one advantage, at the outset — his peak physical fitness.
“During chemotherapy, I was actually running, cycling to the hospital seven miles away from my house,” he said. “There have been peaks and troughs, but I’ve been working through. It’s been fun.”
The worst lows so far have come at times when he was receiving radiotherapy — which threatened to bring him to a standstill.
“I was continuing my fitness, my running on a regular basis, but I started dropping down times. I was getting slower,” he said.
Part of why Ward, from Dublin and now living in London, kept in remarkably good condition for a person in his circumstances is because he wants to break the stigma of cancer patients looking “sick in bed” and inspire change and hope for others. courtesy of Iain Ward
But Ward said he’s looked to the “Rocky” legend for inspiration — clinging to the idea of just keeping going, even if there were days he’d be walking instead of running.
“I knew that I could kind of piggyback off of that. So it motivated me,” he said.
And when it comes to the marathons, he openly admitted it hasn’t “been like the Olympics.”
“The best I’ve done recently was in Edinburgh — [and] I stopped loads of times just to walk,” Ward admitted.
In November, he will run seven marathons on seven continents, starting with Antarctica and “sleeping on the plane” until ending in Miami. courtesy of Iain Ward
The doctors’ original predictions should mean that he has a year left to live — but recent scans are giving him hope there’ll be more time, he said.
So far, he’s raised about $500,000, saying he’s not focused too much on breaking records at this point.
But keeps adding marathons to his calendar — even as the so-called final year draws nearer to a close.
“I don’t know, maybe toward Christmas, I might sort of be like, f–k it, I’m going to run another one,” he said.
“Who’s going to stop me?”
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