‘I ran the distance between LA and New York for Macmillan after cancer – a marathon wasn’t enough to say thank you’

A Surrey man has run 2,853 miles – the distance between Los Angeles and New York – raising more than £10,000 for Macmillan to thank the charity for its support as he battled a rare facial tumour that left him needing reconstructive surgeries on his face.

Ben Dobson, 48, was diagnosed with a sarcoma days before Christmas in 2019. He had just arrived home, near Godalming in Surrey, from visiting one of his sisters who lived in Australia, and noticed a feeling of pressure in his sinuses which he assumed was a lingering effect of the air pressure on his flight.

When his symptoms did not improve, he sought advice from his GP, who sent him straight to hospital for further investigation. On December 19 2019, Ben was told he had a sarcoma, a rare tumour in the right side of his face.

At first, doctors observed the progress of his cancer – “because it was going through the structures in my face, they didn’t know how to proceed”, he explained – and then he had 25 sessions of radiotherapy to attempt to shrink the tumour. When that didn’t have much effect, he had a series of surgeries to remove the tumour and to reconstruct his face, inserting a bung to fill out his face and giving him an obturator – a prosthetic palette – for the roof of his mouth.

All throughout the uncertain, painful and terrifying period from diagnosis through his treatment, Ben was supported by Macmillan, the cancer care charity. Macmillan supported him as a liaison between the hospital and Ben, with psychological help as he went through treatment and reconstructive surgery on his face, and with making sure he had the right pain medication for his needs – and Ben describes the work they do as “astonishing”.

“So much so,” he added, “that I felt at the end of it, a marathon wasn’t enough to say thank you.”

He told PA Real Life: “I needed to say more. I needed to give them more back.

“I decided to do something a little bit different, and that was to run across America to raise funds.”

Ben set himself the challenge of running from Los Angeles to New York – a distance of 2,853 miles – to raise money for Macmillan to continue to provide its vital support to those affected by cancer.

“I just felt so indebted that I had to do something,” he said.

While Ben had planned to run across the United States, six weeks before he was due to travel, ready to start on March 1, he fell ill and was unable to make the trip. However, rather than abandon the challenge entirely, he decided to complete the mileage here in the UK.

Prior to starting his ultramarathon in Minehead, Somerset – the start of the South West Coast Path – on March 1 2025, Ben was very much a casual runner. He had not even run a standard marathon – a distance of 26.2 miles – but he felt he needed to go above and beyond to show his appreciation for Macmillan.

On December 6, Ben completed his monumental challenge, crossing the finish line at the White Hart pub in Witley, Surrey, who had sponsored him for the event. He covered the distance solo and unsupported, carrying his tent, sleeping system, food, water and a change of clothes in a 10kg rucksack for the entire distance as he ran along several of the UK’s beautiful but demanding national trails, including the South West Coast Path, Pembrokeshire Coast Path, Thames Path, and North Downs Way.

For most of the run, Ben said his body felt “surprisingly robust”. He suffered some cut-up feet from running through estuaries, and some intestinal complaints from wild camping for months on end, but he only had one prohibitive injury – a dislocated shoulder that meant he had to pause his challenge for three weeks.

“In Cornwall, on the South West Coast Path, I slipped and dislocated my shoulder quite badly,” he said.

“That was during a storm. I was about four or five miles away from a little place called Portholland, so I had to get there. And at the time, I was quite worried about exposure, because I hadn’t seen anyone. I didn’t have any reception on my phone.

“But, by some miracle, I came across a dog walker on the beach. It was unbelievable. He drove me to hospital, where I had to go under general anaesthetic to have it put back in, because it had been out for a few hours by then.”

Otherwise, the challenge was predominantly mental – not least because he could go days without seeing another person – and “a lot of loneliness crept in”.

“When I pitched my tent, it was a lot of staring at the sky for 12 hours, really, because I couldn’t get any reception and I couldn’t afford the battery power,” he said.

“So those moments of loneliness in the middle of nowhere, when I hadn’t seen anyone for a couple of days, sometimes became really quite wearing when I was faced with my inner demons and inner voices.

“But that actually (forged) a really good inner steel that’s lasted me for the rest of the journey. I thought if I could manage that, then I can pretty much manage anything else that life throws at me.”

“The thing that warmed my heart the most was the kindness of strangers,” he added.

“I found that remarkable.

“From somebody who drove me 40 minutes, an hour, around a headland so I didn’t have to cross another estuary, just who I randomly met on the path… to another chap who I met on the South West Coast Path who was living in Teignmouth, and after a very brief meeting I spent Easter day with him and his family.

“It was very much the kindness of strangers and the support that blew me away most.”

Indeed, the kindness of strangers has endured even now Ben has completed his monumental challenge. He has passed his £10,000 fundraising target for Macmillan, and cannot emphasise enough “just how grateful I am, not only to people who have donated, but of course, to this magnificent charity”.

As for Ben’s cancer journey, in some ways it is still ongoing. He still hasn’t been given the all-clear, and suffers lingering effects of his treatment.

Ben now has lockjaw, due to the radiotherapy eroding the muscles in his jaw, and he can’t open his mouth more than a centimetre, causing him to rely on a predominantly liquid diet. However, he now only needs to return for observation every five years, and says that in many ways cancer has “given me a second lease of life”.

“I feel really good,” he said.

“And to tell you the truth, there’s definitely a pre-cancer Ben and a post-cancer Ben. I think I was very different before cancer, but it’s given me a second lease of life, strangely enough. So it’s probably been one of the best things that’s happened to me.

“That might sound strange, but without being cliched, it’s given me pleasure to be alive and hope that I didn’t have beforehand. I didn’t really have a purpose or understand myself very well, but cancer has very much laid it bare, and I’ve built myself up back from that.

“So it does sound strange, but it’s probably been the best thing in my life.”

Nyree Ashby, relationship fundraising manager at Macmillan Cancer Support, said: “We’re incredibly grateful to Ben for undertaking such an extraordinary challenge in support of Macmillan. His determination and resilience are truly inspiring. The funds he’s raised will help us provide essential support to people living with cancer across the UK through our support line, website, online community and Macmillan centres.”

To donate to Ben’s fundraiser for Macmillan, visit his JustGiving page here: www.justgiving.com/page/benrunsamerica