Cancer consultant Dr Hugo de la Peña has raised more than £10,000 for cancer research

Dr Hugo De La Peña, one of the UK’s leading breast cancer consultants has raised £10,000 for Cancer Research UK after taking part in the London Marathon for the second time.

Dr Hugo has worked as a cancer consultant for the NHS for more than five years and has been actively supporting cancer charities throughout his medical and scientific career.

He said: “The London Marathon is many things including a wonderful, unique victory lap from all the hard work, training runs and fundraising. The London Marathon will always be one of the best days of my life, but it is also a monumental display of human defiance against illness, unfairness and misfortune.”

Cancer Research UK is the country’s leading cancer charity dedicated to saving lives through research. Dr Hugo has supported the charity throughout his career opening Race for Life, recruiting media volunteers and invited to appear in their TV national advertising campaigns from 2022.

Through marathons, Dr Hugo has raised a total of £10,000 and found April’s Marathon was an inspirational event. He ran with his wife Alison and they completed the course in just over five hours.

“Once in your 'wave' waiting to get going, you feel what it can only be described as if you are a warrior before battle or an elite athlete before a gold medal event. You then get these waves of overwhelming pride and emotion when you just want to cry and I remember feeling so so grateful beyond words to all my patients and donors, who had supported me and sent me the loveliest messages imaginable,” Dr Hugo said.

“Alison, my wife was desperate to break her previous time, there was no way in hell I was going to stop running, but I had to slow down (because of pain from a previous injury) and so I said to her ‘go carry on and I’ll catch you’ and what did she do? She stayed with me. Not only did she stay but she kept reminding me that we were there together and would finish together. That was true love right there.”

Funds raising through events like the London Marathon enable Cancer Research UK to continue their research into improving outcomes from cancer of all types.

Dr Hugo said: “For me the drive has always been the hunger to kill cancer, knowing that even though we kill cancer most days, that’s not good enough, we need to kill cancer every day and that day my determination only increased and became even more cemented.”

Anyone who wishes to support Dr Hugo and Cancer Research UK can visit https://2024tcslondonmarathon.enthuse.com/pf/hugo-de-la-pe-a/post/5151423