When Tom Smith, 40, was diagnosed with a meningioma in August 2025, he discovered that there many different types of brain tumours – some of which are much less treatable – and counted himself lucky.
The hospital treating him near his home in Barnsley sent him some information about The Brain Tumour Charity, and we provided vital information and support in navigating the healthcare system.
Tom’s wife Hannah, a PE teacher, got a place to run the London Marathon to raise funds for charity and their eldest child, Oliver, decided he wanted to do something to give back too. But what?
Keen runner and budding triathlete Oliver decided to tackle his own pint-sized marathon training programme – and then some!
As he had just celebrated his ninth birthday, Oliver decided to take on the challenge of running the equivalent of nine marathons between January and April 26th – the day of the London Marathon.
A regular at Saturday 5km parkruns as well as the Junior 2.5km event on a Sunday, Oliver has been running since he was four.
He also trains with Wakefield Triathlon Club, so decided that those regular events would help him clock up the miles – along with inviting friends and acquaintances to join him on his runs.
He worked out that he would need to run a total of 380km or an average of 3.3km a day!
I know he’s only nine but endurance activities are just what he does.
Tom Smith
He finished third in Yorkshire for his age group in 2024 so he’s a fit lad and that’s why this running challenge is something he wanted to do.
I’m so proud of Oliver. I’m not in the position to do these things myself so the fact that people are supporting us is amazing.”
Oliver, pictured left, with his parents and sister Freya.
Tom’s diagnosis
Tom’s first symptoms were problems with his vision last summer: “I experienced some blurriness in my left eye which quickly led to a situation where I couldn’t read or pick out people’s facial features.
“Ultimately, I was referred for an MRI scan which found a 4cm meningioma wrapped around my optic nerve on that side. It had clearly been there a long time, which is why it had grown quite big. My consultant was worried that it would start to impact on my pituitary gland and optic nerve which could mean I lost my sight altogether in that eye so they wanted to operate quickly.”
In a 12-hour operation at the Royal Hallamshire Hospital in Sheffield on 11 December, surgeons removed all the tumour via Tom’s cheekbone, the top of his jaw and his eye socket. This was to avoid compromising the integrity of his skull. He needed 47 stitches but recovered well.
Tom said: “I was quite bruised and puffy and have got a huge scar from one ear to the next but feel really fortunate that this was a low grade tumour. We’re clinging on to the positives. I’ve been really shocked by the array of different brain tumours that exist, the different symptoms that people experience and how aggressive they can be.
“The hospital sent us some information about The Brain Tumour Charity and we’ve spent a lot of time of the website and social media pages which has been really helpful. So Oliver wanted to give back – he’s just got that kind, loving personality.
Parkrun gets political!
Oliver has already exceeded his £2000 fundraising target – raising a staggering £9691 at the time of writing.
He’s keeping people updated with his progress on social media, and has had plenty of requests from people wanting to run with him, ranging from friends to his local MPs!
He’s pictured left with Barnsley MPs Stephanie Peacock and Dan Jarvis at a parkrun, which was reported on by the local paper here.
And as word has spread about his epic feat – which he’s on track to complete – he’s picked up a Heart Yorkshire Heroes award and been nominated for another local prize.
He’s also got a place in the Mini London Marathon the day before the adults event, so he’ll tick off the final 2.6km in the capital.
You can support Oliver here:
Good luck Oliver!
