Walking, Talking and Not Doing This Alone
On the last Saturday of every month, something quietly powerful happens at parkruns across the country.
People living with and beyond cancer.
Family. Friends. Healthcare professionals.
They walk. Jog. Run. Volunteer. Cheer.
They wear turquoise.
They show up.
5K Your Way isn’t “just exercise.”
It’s movement with meaning.
In Clacton and Harwich, we are lucky to have two incredible ambassadors helping to hold that space — Elspeth and Ali.
This is their story.
Elspeth – “I helped myself 24 years ago. Now I help others.”
Elspeth is a mother, full-time grandmother and retired teacher.
She was diagnosed with breast cancer in December 2001.
A complete shock.
They had a skiing trip booked for Christmas. She went anyway.
“Maybe not the decision most would take… maybe not what I would say today either.”
But she had always been a runner.
Running became her anchor during treatment.
A week after chemo, her goal was simple — run half a mile to the nearest house.
When she could do that, she went back to running club.
“Life was back to ‘normal’.”
5K Your Way didn’t exist back then. Years later, she attended a meeting in Cambridge. She heard about exercise, mutual support, social connection.
She thought: I want this in Harwich.
Harwich became one of the first groups in the country.
To Elspeth, 5K Your Way is:
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A 5K with a difference
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A place to walk, jog, run or volunteer
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A chance to chat without sitting face-to-face behind a desk
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A social occasion away from home
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Support — always
She hopes people feel:
“That feel-good factor from endorphins that reduce pain, stress and anxiety in a supportive, encouraging group.”
And she carries this belief:
If exercise was a pill, it would appear on every cancer patient’s list of medication.
In one sentence?
“5K Your Way is a way for me to try to help others, in a way that I helped myself 24 years ago.”
Ali – “Walking, talking and blowing out Saturday morning cobwebs.”
Ali is 45. Mum of two. Town planner. Dog lover.
Cancer entered her world ten years ago.
Six operations.
Two bouts of sepsis.
Eight months of chemotherapy.
Twenty-five rounds of radiotherapy.
Menopause at 41.
Kidney disease.
Huge scars.
A stoma.
A rollercoaster, as she puts it.
And yet — three years and three months clear and counting.
She describes 5K Your Way as:
“A walking, talking support group of people who truly understand the physical and emotional rollercoaster of cancer.”
She’s not a runner.
Walking has been her recovery.
Harwich and Clacton are coastal routes — blue and green space. Fresh air. Sea views. Parks. Gardens.
“You don’t even need to talk about cancer. Just being with people who have been there makes such a difference.”
She followed the Harwich group online for months before attending. She worried about the distance. About slowing others down.
She couldn’t have been more wrong.
“The Ambassadors are there waiting specifically for you… you set the pace and the distance.”
And if 5K feels too far?
Come for the cuppa after.
Ali became an ambassador when Clacton launched.
“I know I have benefited from support and tips from others… I just hope people come along and feel welcomed.”
In one sentence?
“A walking, talking support group for the good times and the bad.”
The Ripple Effect in Clacton & Harwich
Harwich helped spark Chelmsford.
Chelmsford helped spark Colchester.
Clacton is growing…. And ambassadors from Clacton and Harwich attended Parkrun at Christchurch Park in Ipswich as an extrta event for World Cancer Day
This is how community works. Not loud. Not flashy. Just consistent.
Peer-led support.
Movement-based support.
Outdoor space.
Shared experience.
For someone newly diagnosed?
You don’t have to be “fit enough.”
You don’t have to run.
You don’t even have to finish 5K.
You just have to turn up.
Or send a message first.
There’s always someone in turquoise waiting.
Why This Matters
I see, every week in clinic and in classes, what movement does.
Not punishing movement.
Not “before and after” movement.
But gentle, social, outdoor, no-pressure movement.
It is another piece of the puzzle.
And sometimes, it’s the piece that gets someone out of the house for the first time.
Want to Join?
Clacton parkrun
Harwich parkrun
Last Saturday of every month
Walk, jog, run, volunteer or cheer
☕ Stay for coffee
Useful links and information
Together after Breast Cancer Support group
Harwich Cancer Support group – meets every Wednesday 10-12. Contact Kelly 07585 559761
Frinton Cancer Support Group – Touched by Cancer, they meet monthly – contact tbc.coffeedownload@gmail.com
The Wellbeing Centre Colchester is a hub for informtion and support services. If they can’t help they will know someone who can
Movement and exercise during and after cancer treatment