London Marathon 2018 runners: Husband told he had cancer after stubbing toe tackles this year's race to celebrate his recovery

A man who discovered he had cancer after stubbing his big toe will celebrate his recovery by running his first London Marathon.

Craig Lawson, 32, feared he would have to have his left leg amputated after the discovery of angiosarcoma, a rare cancer of the blood vessels.

He had completed a short run in Greenwich Park — from where the Marathon begins on Sunday — when the accident happened. He said: “I was 29 and a reasonably active and healthy person. After my run, I stubbed my toe on a coffee table and what was a simple knock slowly developed into something more painful.” His foot developed a rash and his GP prescribed antihistamines.

When the rash persisted he went to Blackheath hospital, where a biopsy was ordered and he was referred as a private patient to the Royal Marsden, a specialist cancer hospital. “I had no health concerns at all,” he said.

“It really was a freak of nature that this happened. The tumour was in my leg and it was initially thought I would need to have this amputated to improve the chances of saving my life.” His leg was injected with chemotherapy under general anaesthetic and 18 months later, he was given the all-clear.

He said: “One of the options was to lose my leg, but the consultant disagreed with the other consultant on that. If I hadn’t gone for that run and bumped my foot, it [the cancer] would never have manifested itself. It could have spread into my upper body.”

He credited the Marsden’s pioneering sarcoma research for helping him defeat cancer and is raising money for its charity. Mr Lawson’s cancer has been in remission for two years, and he has now married girlfriend Jen. “We left London for Winchester in search of a quieter environment,” he said.

“I own my own architecture business and we’re expecting our first child in October. None of this would have been possible without the treatment from the Royal Marsden so I’m not only running as a personal challenge but also as a thank you to the staff, friends and family who have supported me.”

• justgiving.com/fundraising/2018londonmarathon