About our Patron, Richard Whitehead MBE

Richard Whitehead, Sarcoma UK’s first Patron and long-term supporter, had never run a mile when he first met his close friend and mentor Simon Mellows.

‘Cometh the hour, cometh the man.’ Richard Whitehead, Sarcoma UK’s first Patron and long-term supporter, had never run a mile when he first met his close friend and mentor Simon Mellows. He won the gold medal in the 200m T42 Athletics event at the 2012 Paralympics. In 2013, he was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire for services to athletics and became Sarcoma UK’s first ever patron.

For his Richard Whitehead Runs Britain campaign, Richard ran from John O’Groats to Land’s End, or 40 marathons in 40 days. He holds the world record for athletes with a double amputation in both the full and half marathon. Richard has represented Team GB several times since and in 2021 launched the Richard Whitehead Foundation to support and inspire disabled people through sport. We are honoured that he is our first Patron.

Sadly, Richard’s friend, Simon Mellows, died of chondrosarcoma, a type of bone cancer. Simon was a constant source of inspiration for Richard, from running his first marathon to becoming the marathon world record-holder for leg amputees and 200m Paralympic champion. Simon’s courage and determination in the face of his illness left a lasting impact on Richard, driving him to achieve his goals and support others facing similar challenges.

‘I’d always dreamt of being able to run a marathon. I imagined the applause and support of the spectators and the feeling of crossing the finish line. But these were only dreams. Being an above the knee, double legged amputee, just being able to run at all was more realistic! I was inspired as a youngster by a Canadian athlete called Terry Fox. Terry became a single legged amputee after a battle with osteosarcoma – a type of bone cancer. After losing his limb, Terry attempted to run from East to West of Canada. His strength and determination showed that with a big heart and the will to succeed you can overcome barriers put in front of you.

So at the start of 2004 I entered the New York Marathon which would take place 11 months later. When I entered I had no running experience and had not even run one mile! I wanted to run not just for myself, but I also wanted to raise money for lots of charities that had helped me whilst I was growing up. My decision was reinforced when a month before the race my close friend, Simon was diagnosed with chondrosarcoma – another type of bone cancer. Simon and Terry, having both been affected by sarcoma, became a major driving force and inspiration behind my run.

My training started in February 2004. I began running mainly on treadmills in my local gym. At that time I was running on my knees using sport cups. That’s how I run when I don’t have my prosthetic legs. I then built enough confidence to brave the open roads. Mainly running at night so as not to attract any attention, I began to experience the freedom of running outside. I was hooked. Like any other athlete at the beginning running was hard work and a gruelling experience. I was getting pains on top of other pains; at times I felt I was getting nowhere and was just running backwards. At that stage I could only run for about 30 minutes.