John Lake

John in his specially crafted 'brain helmet' at the London Marathon

John Lake survived a brain tumour in 2002 and made the transformation from someone who was, as he put it, “exercise-phobic”, to someone who was able to complete 2007's London Marathon for The Brain Research Trust in a very respectable time.

As if this wasn’t impressive enough, in 2008 year he set about raising further funds for the BRT. In addition to presenting talks on his inspiring story, John organised a hugely successful pub quiz, raising over £1,100. But most of John’ greatest contribution came from sponsorship for his next challenge – the Ironman Triathlon. The total amount that ‘Ironman John’ has raised is now about £22,000!

John described for us, just before undertaking the Ironman, what drove him to put himself through such an extreme challenge:

If you had told me a few years ago that I would take part in the Ironman Triathlon I would have laughed in disbelief. I had no interest in exercise whatsoever, beyond what we needed for swordfighting and historical dancing for my course at a prestigious drama school, LAMDA. I had graduated with a first from Oxford and intended to become an actor.

After my first year at LAMDA I was on holiday when a series of intense headaches took me to the hospital. Doctors found a brain tumour- a glioma. I had surgery and was then flown home for chemotherapy and radiotherapy. I then suffered from a protracted and severe period of post-surgical depression, a common feature of brain injury.

However, I found a reason to live again after being told of the benefits of exercise. I started to jog and appreciate the sensation of endorphins in my brain. This lead to me attempting a feat I never would have thought myself capable of before the tumour.

In 2006, I had never run further than the shops. In 2007, I ran the London Marathon for The Brain Research Trust and raised more money for them than anyone else before or since. In September this year I will swim 2.4 miles, cycle 112 miles and run a marathon all in the space of just a few hours at the British Ironman Triathlon competition in Sherborne.

I try to tell exercise-phobic people (as I used to be) about its positive effects: it causes a release of endorphins which can lift the mood. This can be generated by much smaller exercise than the Ironman! A vigorous walk such as a stroll to work energised with headphones and uptempo music will do. I want to prove that life is still full of possibility for those suffering from cancer and depression; I will demonstrate the power and potential of exercise on mental health and I will raise a hell of a lot of money for The Brain Research Trust in the process.