The winner of the Eden Project marathon, Luke Grenfell-Shaw, was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer three years ago, but since his diagnosis he has been setting himself numerous goals to highlight his firm belief that anyone can live a rich and full life with cancer.

The 27-year-old ran a time of 2.45.27 to take the top step of the podium and was taking part in the event whilst on a break from his larger project of riding a tandem bike from Bristol to Beijing to raise money for five charities that support young people living with cancer.

Speaking after the race, Luke said: “What I’m trying to do with this ride is show what’s possible with a cancer diagnosis – it’s still possible to be active and still possible to achieve your dreams.

“It’s an amazing course, really beautiful but tough – up and down, up and down! I just tried to keep relaxed and recover on the way down. It’s a wonderful part of the world to run in and the weather was perfect, you couldn’t ask for a better October day.”

More than 1,250 participants signed up to take part in this year’s races, which have been highly anticipated following the postponement of last year’s event due to the global pandemic.

The event, jointly organised by Eden and St Austell Running Club, has become a firm fixture in the running calendar and celebrated its tenth birthday in 2019.

Eden Project Commercial Manager Tracey Smith, who has organised the event since its inception, said: “The last few years have been a real challenge for all of us so today felt even more special than ever. To see everybody coming together, supporting and celebrating each other’s achievements is exactly what this event is all about.

“As always, we’d like to thank St Austell Running Club and all the volunteers and marshals, without whom, our eleventh event would not have been possible. Congratulations to everyone who took part today. We hope you all extremely proud of yourselves.”

Race Director of the The winner of the Eden Project and Half-Marathon Doug Alsop said: “Seeing everybody out here, enjoying themselves in the glorious weather we have been blessed with was absolutely brilliant.

To find out more about Luke Grenfell-Shaw's Bristol2Beijing expedition see: www.bristol2beijing.org.