Sir Chris Hoy has opened up on his terminal cancer diagnosis and the cycling legend’s former Team GB team-mate Sir Jason Kenny is supporting him in a London Marathon run
Sir Jason Kenny is running the London Marathon for the first time in 2025, some 17 years on from his first Olympic cycling gold medal win. Sir Chris Hoy was one of his team-mates for that triumph in Beijing, and the Scot’s cancer diagnosis is part of the reason for his fellow Team GB star tackling the marathon course.
Hoy, 49, opened up on his terminal cancer diagnosis in 2024. He revealed he had been given “two to four years” to live, but this hasn’t stopped him looking to raise significant sums for cancer charities.
Later this year, Hoy will launch the first Tour de 4 cycling event in the hopes of raising awareness of what stage four cancer can look like. And Kenny is making his London Marahon debut in support of the initiative.
“I’m a little bit confused… but very excited,” Kenny admitted to the BBC before beginning his 26.2-mile journey. “I’ve never been before, it’s my first time… and it’s amazing to see the blend of elite athletes and the buzz of 56,000 people running.
“I’m running for Chris Hoy’s Tour de 4, which supports five cancer charities. He’s got an event coming up for that, so we’re raising money for that. Again, massive motivation for me, so hopefully that will drag me through the last few miles.”
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Hoy shed some light on Tour de 4 earlier this month. “The Tour de 4 is a big goal for me because I want to turn up looking and feeling as fit and healthy as I possibly can, I want to be an example,” he said.
“The aim is to bring that community together and to change the perceptions of what a stage four diagnosis can look like. I hope it’s going to be a really positive, uplifting day that while I never imagined would need to exist, off the back of the diagnosis I’ve had, it’s something to really look forward to.”
Kenny holds the record for Olympic medals for a British athlete, winning seven golds and nine medals in total. The tally includes team sprint golds with Hoy and Jamie Staff in 2008, with Hoy and Philip Hindes in 2012, and with Hindes and Callum Skinner in 2016.
He is one of a number of big names supporting Tour de 4, along with fellow cyclist Mark Cavendish and former British tennis No.1 Andy Murray. “Following Sir Chris Hoy’s diagnosis with Stage 4 cancer, Tour De 4 was established with a clear purpose: to demonstrate that a Stage 4 diagnosis, while devastating, doesn’t define the limits of what’s possible,” the event website explains.
“Chris’ vision is to bring together people who have been affected by cancer – whether directly or indirectly – to challenge perceptions, inspire hope and raise vital funds for cancer charities across the UK,” the mission statement continues. The five charities supported by Tour de 4 are Cancer Research UK, Maggie’s, Prostate Cancer UK, Breast Cancer Now and Macmillan Cancer Support.
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