Pocket rocket Oliver, nine, takes on nine marathons in four months
A nine-year-old boy from Yorkshire is running the equivalent of nine marathons in four months to raise money for the charity supporting his family following his dad’s brain tumour diagnosis.
Oliver Smith, from Wombwell, in Barnsley, has been running since he was four, regularly takes part in parkruns and trains with Wakefield Triathlon Club.
He turned nine at the end of December and is now taking his running a step further by attempting to run the distance of nine marathons between January and April – 380km in total or an average of 3.3km a day – which is when his mum, Hannah, is running the London Marathon for the first time.
Oliver, whose parents are both PE teachers, is raising money for The Brain Tumour Charity, which is the largest dedicated funder of research into primary brain tumours globally. It's providing information and support to Oliver's family after his dad, Tom, Assistant Principal at Outwood Academy Carlton, was diagnosed with a meningioma brain tumour last August.
Tom’s now recuperating following innovative surgery to remove the tumour. He said his first symptoms were problems with his vision.
Tom, 40, said:
“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 my pituitary gland and optic nerve, which could mean I lost my vision altogether in that eye, so they wanted to operate quickly.”
Tom had a 12-hour operation at the Royal Hallamshire Hospital in Sheffield on 11 December. Surgeons believe they've successfully removed all the tumour and did so via his cheekbone, top of his jaw and eye socket to avoid compromising the integrity of his skull.
Tom added:
“I'm 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 and 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 on their website and social media pages, which has been really positive. Hannah and I are both having some counselling, and Oliver wanted to give back - he's just got that kind, loving personality.
"Endurance sports are his thing. I know he's only nine, but he's been running since he was four and endurance activities are just what he does. 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. Running is his best discipline, his swimming is coming along nicely, and he's working on his biking too."
