For Kate Doughty, taking part in the Cancer Research UK London Winter Run is both deeply personal and profoundly hopeful. She first ran the event in 2025 in memory of her mum and dad, who both died from cancer, her dad in 2017 and her mum in 2022. Just one week after completing the run, Kate discovered a lump, and later that month she was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer.

“I ran the Cancer Research UK London Winter Run to remember my parents,” Kate explains. “A week later, I became a patient myself. Kate, who works as a doctor, understands the vital role that Cancer Research UK’s lifesaving research plays in improving outcomes for people affected by cancer. Her diagnosis, coming so soon after running in support of the charity, strengthened her determination to keep fundraising and raising awareness through the Cancer Research UK London Winter Run.

“Running this event gives me the chance to think about the people I’ve lost, while also looking forward,” she says. “When you stand on the start line of the Cancer Research UK London Winter Run and look around, you realise just how many people have been affected by cancer. Running together feels incredibly powerful.”

The 2026 Cancer Research UK London Winter Run will be especially meaningful for Kate as she will be meeting her friend Ellie in person for the first time. Ellie is a fellow doctor with breast cancer and young children, who connected with Kate online when they both started chemotherapy around the same time. Throughout their treatment, they have supported each other through messages and shared experiences.

“Cancer Research UK brought us together in a way,” Kate says. “We both benefited from the research and treatments they support, and meeting at the London Winter Run feels like the perfect moment to mark how far we’ve come.”

Kate began running just before graduating as a doctor, using it as a way to manage stress and protect her wellbeing. Returning to the Cancer Research UK London Winter Run now represents resilience, gratitude and hope — hope that continued fundraising and research will give more families precious time together.

“For me, running isn’t just about the distance,” Kate adds. “It’s about supporting Cancer Research UK so that more people can survive cancer, and more families can look to the future.”