West Londoner Panayiotis Sinnos has raised over £70K over the years
After his initial cancer diagnosis in 2018, Panayiotis Sinnos has used running and fundraising as a way to keep himself going as he undergoes treatment. 63-year-old Panayiotis (or Panos), as he is known, from Ealing has run six London Marathons as well as several half marathons in London and beyond.
He was in remission until 2021, when he first started running. Since 2022, he has raised £72,000 for Prostate Cancer UK and has big plans to reach £90,000. He has run multiple half marathons in 2026, including the Kew Gardens Half and the Hackney Half, as well as the London Marathon.
Mr Sinnos told MyLondon: “When the doctor told me I had prostate cancer, it wasn’t a shock as I kind of knew something was up. In November this year, it will be eight years since I was first diagnosed. All I’ve wanted is for more men to get checked because I feel we don’t until it’s too late.
“One in eight men will be affected by prostate cancer. One in four Black men will be diagnosed with it. If you’re not getting tested, you’re not going to know. Running has helped me keep going, and I get a big kick out of doing these races.”
One of Panos’s inspirations to keep running was due to a friend of his who has incurable prostate cancer, as well as Kevin Webber. Webber was diagnosed with terminal prostate cancer in 2014 and given just two years to live, yet he is still alive 12 years later, training and running marathons. In his book, Dead Man Running, he details his experiences running across the Sahara Desert and the Arctic.
“He’s one of my biggest inspirations that got me out there running. It helps your mental health and he is convinced he is still here because he moves. It doesn’t matter what age you are; you need to move. Even while I’ve been on drugs that made me fatigued, I kept running. It became an obsession. I ended up doing six to seven half races; now this year, I’ve done five and hopefully get to 10 by the end of the year.
“The energy at marathons is like nothing else. If you want to see humanity at its best, turn up in London on the day of the London Marathon. It is pure joy and pure love. It is people supporting you who have no idea who you are, and they don’t care.”
He has done all these races this year, even after being told in December that his cancer may have come back. Recently, he had a scan and was told by his doctors that they are ‘convinced’ it has come back again; Panos isn’t letting it stop him from running more races.
He added: “At the beginning of the year, I was down because I wasn’t expecting it to come back again. I managed to train for the London Marathon and told myself that whatever happens, we can deal with this. Whatever’s thrown at me, we’ll deal with it again.”
Showcasing his heroic efforts, Panos has been nominated as one of 16 finalists by JustGiving in the “Outstanding Commitment” category.
“Since my prostate cancer diagnosis, I have tried to turn my experience into something positive by raising awareness, encouraging men to get checked early and raising vital funds for Prostate Cancer UK through my running challenges. Every vote means so much to me, but more importantly, every vote helps shine an even bigger light on prostate cancer awareness and the importance of early diagnosis.”
He is now fundraising for the London Marathon 2027. You can donate to it here.
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