In 2022, Alyson Hancock was diagnosed with HER2-positive breast cancer. After a mastectomy, chemotherapy, and later discovering the cancer had spread to her brain, Alyson faces a future she never expected.
But through the support of Shine Cancer Support, a charity for young adults with cancer, and the encouragement of her husband, Nick - a passionate ultrarunner - Alyson found the strength to return to running.
“When I got my diagnosis, I just didn't know what to do, where to go, who to speak to,” Alyson says. Her breast care nurse told her about Shine Cancer Support. The UK-based charity supports adults in their 20s, 30s, and 40s who have been diagnosed with cancer. It was founded by Ceinwen and Emma Willis, who both faced cancer as young adults and saw a lack of tailored support for those in their age group.
The charity offered Alyson a spot on its online Circles programme, which brings together small groups of young adults with cancer for weekly two-hour sessions over six weeks. Each week covers a different topic, with time to share experiences. The charity also offers a ‘Plus Ones Circle’ for partners of young adults with incurable cancer.
“I got to know six women who were going through something similar,” Alyson says. “It was a pivotal moment for me. We still keep in touch, although we have lost a couple along the way. Ceinwen and Emma have been brilliant, too. You look at them and think, ‘They’re CEOs and they’ve gone through the same thing.’”
Alyson is keen to use the Vitality London 10,000 to raise much-needed funds for Shine Cancer Support.
Her husband, Nick, completed the 2025 TCS London Marathon in an impressive time of 2:50, despite the sweltering conditions. He went on to raise nearly £3,000 for Breast Cancer Now. After seeing him on the course, Alyson signed up for the 10K so she too could experience finishing on The Mall.
She says: “I'm nowhere near the marathon stage, but I thought just experiencing a little bit of that would be huge, and the landmarks are iconic.”
Alyson used to run regularly before her diagnosis. “Running gives you a buzz that nothing else can come close to,” she says. However, when treatment took over, running was no longer an option for her. That was until Nick got a treadmill for their front room and she started again.
Running post-diagnosis feels different, says Alyson: “My body feels weak and I get out of breath easily. It's the fatigue. I'm constantly battling fatigue.”
But this hasn’t stopped her. In May, Alyson completed the 2025 Westonbirt 10K, held in The National Arboretum, in Gloucestershire. “When I set my mind to something, there is no stopping me,” she says.
Alyson’s main motivator is her family, in particular her two young boys, Maxwell Hunter and Miles Theodore, who are four and seven.
“I've got to keep being a mum for them and for as long as possible. Having cancer has made me view life in a completely different way. The children know I am ill with ‘baddies’, as we call them, but they don't know the full extent of my illness.
“I want to focus on creating happy memories for them. We plan trips, holidays and adventures and we bought a camper van to experience great places.”
