'I wasn't alone': Woman with ovarian cancer tackles Cape to Cabot run

One woman's grueling physical test through all 20 kilometres of the Cape to Cabot road race Sunday in St. John's is all the more remarkable for the personal struggle she has faced for more than a year and a half.

Since being diagnosed with stage 3 ovarian cancer last year, Susan Glynn has had surgery and nine rounds of chemotherapy. Despite the aggressive treatment, Glynn says she never lost sight of realizing her goals.

"I do try to stay active. Your health and your wealth is everything," she said.

"When I got diagnosed in April of 2015, the first thing I said to my oncologist [was] 'I'm signed up to do the Tely 10.' And she said, 'We'll get you there.'"

Not only did Glynn finish that 10-mile road race in 2015, she also ran it again this year, with a personal best time. That motivated her to pursue a dream she's had at the back of her mind: Cape to Cabot.

Determination and inspiration

The grueling race is made up mostly of hills and traces a route from Cape Spear to Signal Hill.

While she was one of the last competitors to complete the race — though not everyone who signs up for Cape to Cabot finishes it — it was never about time for Glynn.

"As soon as the gun went off I got right in the middle of the crowd because it was so cold," she said.

As I was going down and I tackled that first hill, I have to be honest, I was starting to get overcome.- Susan Glynn

"And once the runners took off, it was pretty evident I was going to be behind. But it wasn't about time for me."

Glynn had lots of support from friends and family as well as St. John Ambulance, the police, the race committee and spectators.

"I wasn't alone," she said.

She even had one man from the community come out to walk with her.

"I was really inspired by that, a complete stranger who just took the initiative to walk up towards me and say 'Look, I'm going to walk with you,'" she said.

The Terry Fox factor

Glynn said she got the inspiration to keep going from her friends and family, in particular her two god-daughters, Gabrielle and Alexis, as well as one legendary runner.

"As I was going down and I tackled that first hill, I have to be honest, I was starting to get overcome. I felt my heart rate going up, I was feeling a little bit lightheaded," she recalled.

"And then as I kept going, Terry Fox came to my mind. And it made me appreciate a little bit of what he went through, in terms of tackling hills and terrain." 

Glynn kept up a positive stream of pep talk in her head as she thought of Fox and his Marathon of Hope, an attempt he undertook to run across Canada for cancer awareness, in the midst of his own battle against the disease.

"Sometimes when I went and I'd tackle a hill, I'd look up and I was like 'oh my God.' I'd say 'Terry, get me through it. Come on, get me through.'"

Through her diagnosis Glynn has started the Women of Hope ovarian cancer support group, which now has 52 members.

She said the most important thing is offering support and spreading awareness about ovarian cancer — an illness that often gets overlooked, she said.

"When I got diagnosed last year there was no support group in Newfoundland and Labrador. I was given a number to contact Nova Scotia," she said.

"I want women to know there are [supports] out there for us."