![](https://keswickreminder.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Paul-Cornforth.jpg)
A seasoned fell runner has achieved third place in the male vet 60 European masters mountain running championships – just four months after undergoing major colon cancer surgery.
Threlkeld’s Paul Cornforth, 60, was given the devastating news that he had the disease on December 21 as he was coming off Arthur’s Seat in Edinburgh. He went into hospital on March 10 and underwent surgery to have 30cm of his colon, containing the tumour removed, and was given a stoma and had an ileostomy bag fitted.
“It means that the food you eat, you don’t get that much calorific value out of it because it is diverted out of your body and into the bag,” said Paul, who is managing director of Kong Climbing and Keswick’s Kong Adventure. “My fear ahead of the race was fuelling up because my consultant said that gels will not work for me because my body could not absorb them.”
But Paul did not let these handicaps hamper him when he took part in the championships at Adelboden in Switzerland at the weekend competing against athletes from all over the continent in the shadow of the Wildstrubel and Lohner mountain peaks.
He got a podium finish in the gruelling 22-mile race behind a French and a Spanish athlete which he said was “totally more than I expected”.
Paul’s determination to get back to a near normal life was impressive. He started walking when he came out of hospital and after two weeks was covering five miles a day which he then increased to 40 miles a week.
He started running – a three-mile slow jog – in Whinlatter Forest at the beginning of May and then decided to do the nine-mile Fairfield Horseshoe Race – the second English championship counter of the season – from Rydal and placed second V60. Paul had won the first championship race at Long Mynd in Shropshire back in February so was keen to compete.
He has even delayed a major operation to push the two joint ends of his intestine together, which means he will not need the ileostomy bag, until after the final race of the season at Shelf Moor in September.
“When you get bowel cancer you read all about it online and most of what you read is not very good or positive,” said Paul. “When you come out of hospital and you have got a colostomy bag and your intestines are sticking out of your stomach, it doesn’t take long to become accustomed to it. You start listening to your body.”
Paul’s partner Lou Osborn was also competing in the championships and was first FV50 in the 9km uphill race and seventh overall.