How one woman’s unstoppable spirit lit up the AJ Bell Great Manchester Run

As 35,000 runners surged through the streets of Manchester for the AJ Bell Great Manchester Run, with 150,000 supporters lining the route in a sea of colour and cheers, it was one quiet, determined woman crossing the final finish line who left the deepest imprint on the day.

Angela Summers didn’t win a medal or break a record, but what she achieved was far more powerful.

Three years after being told she might never walk again, Angela completed the AJ Bell Great Manchester Run once more, leaning on walking poles, painkillers, and the support of her loved ones.

Battling stage four cancer since 2021 and told she had just 6 to 18 months to live, Angela defied the odds to walk across the finish line three and a half years later.

“Every time I go across that line, I just think, ‘That’s another year I’ve been here’,” she said.

“When I was first diagnosed, I never thought I’d do the 10K again – and now I’ve done it three years in a row since.”

Crossing the finishing line, she was met with cheers, hugs, and tears from her team and strangers alike.

“It’s hard to put into words. Three and a half years ago, I was being told I might never walk again. Every finish line is borrowed time. It keeps me alive, physically and mentally.”

Angela takes on the AJ Bell Great Manchester Run

Angela has a long-running history with the Great Manchester Run, first taking part in 2005. However, shortly after completing the postponed September race in 2021, she was diagnosed with incurable lung and spinal cancer.

Initially believing the back pain that followed the race was a trapped nerve, she was devastated to learn it was infact a spinal tumour – a secondary cancer from a primary tumour in her lung.

Doctors told Angela the tumour was inoperable, and that she may never walk again, and gave her a prognosis of just 6 to 18 months. But Angela refused to give in.

After beginning intensive chemotherapy, she began walking short distances with the help of Nordic hiking poles.

“It was freezing, it was painful, but it gave me something to work towards,” she recalled.

“Walking every day gave me a sense of purpose again and helped relieve the pain.”

Angela’s daughter Josie, then 22, rallied friends and family into forming a team to take part in the 2022 Great Manchester Run in her mum’s honour as the realisation set in that Angela was too ill to take part. Inspired by their support, Angela made the decision to join them herself at the last minute – and has done so every year since.

Talking of her daughter’s support she said, “She’s not even a runner – but she made all this happen.”

Raising funds for Maggie’s

Now more than 30 strong, their running group raises funds for Maggie’s – a cancer support charity which has played a key role in Angela’s recovery, supporting her, and importantly her family as they navigated her cancer diagnosis. She began attending yoga classes at their centres while undergoing treatment, gaining the confidence to move again when she was told she might not.

“Maggie’s was a lifeline,” she said. “They helped me believe that I could do something. That I still had a life worth living, even with cancer.”

Robin Muir, Maggie’s Manchester Centre Head, said: “It is incredible to see Angela continue to complete her goals and do what she loves. Her choosing to support Maggie’s in this way helps to ensure that Maggie’s can be there for people with cancer and their families.”

Angela has undergone 36 rounds of chemotherapy and still attends scans every three months. Though the tumours remain, they are stable allowing her to remain off chemo for the past 12 months.

She walks every day – aiming for 10,000 steps – and trains for each 10K event with the same determination that got her through treatment, using her sticks for support.

“I can’t run anymore, the pain’s too much, but I can still walk. I take painkillers, I lean on my poles, and I get it done,” she said.

An inspiration for others not to give up

Angela hopes her story encourages others facing serious illness not to give up.

“Even if you’re told the worst – never say never. You don’t have to run. You can walk. You can move. And the support you get from something like this – it’s powerful. It can carry you through.”

“People say it’s about the medicine – but for me, just as important has been the people. The love. The purpose.”

Angela and her team will continue raising money for Maggie’s, and they’re already planning next year’s participation in the event.

“I may come in last every time,” she laughed, explaining how the bike escort to the finish now recognise her each year.

“But I’ll keep coming.”

Donate to Angela’s fundraising page here

To support Angela’s fundraising for Maggie’s Centre, please visit her JustGiving page by clicking here