LONDON MARATHON: Every runner has a remarkable story to tell... Here are three of the most inspiring Wine expert Olly Smith jogged off four stones in four months Susan Fitz-Gibbon's son Freddie is running for her rare spine cancer Rugby legend Michael Lynagh takes on marathon recovering from a stroke My cancer is so rare I couldn't even find it on the internet By Alice Smellie Susan Fitz-Gibbon will be watching the London Marathon with particular pride today. Not only is her son Freddie, 20, among the thousands of competitors, he will also be raising money for a new charity she has just launched - the first for the same relentless and rare cancer of the spine that she suffers from: chordoma. After being diagnosed with the condition in December 2007, the first thing she did was try to find out more information on the internet - without success. "At first I thought I had spelt chordoma incorrectly," says Susan, from Richmond, South-West London. Then I realised that there was simply no information available. This kind of cancer affects about one in 800,000 people, meaning around 500 Britons are currently living with it. Most GPs will not even come across a case in their career. Proud: Susan Fitz-Gibbon suffers from rare spine cancer chordoma and will watch her son run for a charity supporting herself and other sufferers "The cancer originates from notochordal cells, which form the spine in a developing foetus," says University College London Cancer Institute pathologist Professor Adrienne Flanagan, who is a world authority on the condition. In about 30 per cent of the population, minuscule numbers of these embryonic cells remain within the spine. It is thought that chordoma develops from these but it is not yet known why. The condition causes backache, headaches, neck pain and altered vision - vague symptoms that, added to the rarity of the cancer, makes diagnosis difficult. Susan, 52, recalls: "I was lifting weights at my gym in October 2007 when I suddenly felt an agonising pain. Thinking it was a slipped disc, I later went to see my chiropractor. Three weeks on I was still in pain so I went to my GP. I am for ever grateful that she immediately referred me to a neurosurgeon. Inspired: Susan's son Freddie, 20, who is running in the London Marathon for Chordoma UK A series of scans and a biopsy revealed a tumour at the base of Susan's spine. But it took five weeks for doctors to pinpoint the exact type of cancer. While she was waiting for news, Susan tried to live a normal life. "I continued to work, but I couldn't stand up for long and I was in agony," she recalls. She and her husband Gerald also had the unenviable task of breaking the news to their three sons - Oliver, Freddie and William, who at the time were aged 16, 14 and ten. Mothers, especially sporty and sociable ones, just don't get ill. It is the worst thing Gerald and I have ever had to do," she adds. While diagnosing chordoma is difficult, treating it is also tricky. "Chordoma has a jelly-like texture so it's hard to completely remove and even a tiny bit remaining will continue to grow," says Prof Flanagan. It is also hard to reach without damaging the spinal cord. In January 2008, a team at the Wellington Hospital in North London removed the tumour and a diseased vertebra during a 13-hour operation. The vertebra was replaced with a titanium cage, fixed with screws to the nearest vertebrae. Susan went through a course of radiotherapy and spent several months recovering. She also exceeded the expectations of doctors by learning to walk again. "The first thing I said to the physio was that I needed to be wearing heels by the time I was 50 in 2010," she laughs. It took a year to learn to walk again, while in February last year I was cock-a-hoop when I managed to go skiing with my family. Tragically, soon after the family returned home, Susan's oncologist rang. Regular scans had revealed that the cancer was back at the base of the spine and in a nearby muscle. Susan had a further five operations to remove the tumours and manage complications, spending three months in hospital. The cancer returned for a third time at the end of last year, and Susan has just finished another course of radiotherapy. Now, as she awaits her latest scan results, she and Gerald have launched Chordoma UK. I want to raise awareness. Perhaps someone's diagnosis will be speeded up by reading my story," Susan says. She and Gerald also want to raise funds towards more research. In 2006, Prof Flanagan's team identified the diagnostic hallmark of chordoma - a gene known as brachyury. Since then, this marker has been found in other cancers, including those of the lung, breast and salivary gland. "We already know that silencing the brachyury gene stops the tumour growing - though we don't know how - so we want to switch it off in chordoma patients," says Prof Flanagan. Susan says: "If you look at me you can't tell that I'm ill at all. But it takes a great deal of effort - through medication, meditation and sheer force of will - to achieve that. If Freddie hits the dreaded wall today, he will no doubt be inspired to keep going by his mother's determination. chordoma-uk.org The London Marathon always boasts an array of famous faces. Here are some of the celebrities pounding the streets of the capital this year... Andrew Strauss Former England cricket captain Andrew is running with wife Ruth. Their chosen charity, The Lord's Taverners (lordstaverners.org), uses cricket and sport to help disadvantaged and disabled young people. Sophie Raworth Newsreader Sophie has been running to work as part of her training for her third marathon. Sophie (justgiving.com/sophie raworthbbc) is raising funds for the Prince's Trust, for which she is an ambassador. On the track: Former England cricket captain Andrew Strauss and BBC's Sophie Raworth Susanna Reid Breakfast host Susanna (uk.virginmoneygiving.com/SusannaReid) is running for Comic Relief. BBC colleagues Naga Munchetty (United Response) and Mike Bushell (Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research) are also competing. Harry Judd McFly drummer Harry (uk.virgin moneygiving.com) has trained so hard he's developed an ectopic heartbeat - a harmless change in rhythm. He's hoping the admission will help win him more sponsorship for his two charities - Teenage Cancer Trust and Eyes Alight. Ready to run: BBC Breakfast host Susanna Reid and McFly drummer Harry Judd run today Katherine Jenkins Katherine (justgiving.com/KatherineandHannah) is running for Macmillan Cancer Support, which cared for her father before he died of lung cancer in 1996. "We saw first-hand the impact cancer has on a family, and the valuable support Macmillan provides," she says. Jenni Falconer Eighteen months after giving birth to her daughter Ella, TV presenter Jenni is competing for the Children's Trust in Tadworth, Surrey. (uk.virgin moneygiving.com/ jenni.falconer) Cheryl Baker Singer Cheryl is raising money for Demelza, which provides hospice care for children. She was set to compete in last year's New York Marathon before it was cancelled due to Hurricane Sandy. (uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/RunDemelza) Katherine Jenkins Jenni Falconer Cheryl Baker I jogged off four stone in four months - and I didn't even have to stop drinking - says Mail On Sunday's wine expert By Olly Smith A spring in his step: Wine writer Olly Smith lost four stone training for the London Marathon On stage at the BBC Good Food show in London last November, celebrated chef Michel Roux Jr congratulated me on losing more than four stone - then coerced me into signing up for the London Marathon. Egged on by a cheering audience, how could I refuse? Today is the moment of truth - the terrifying yet exciting day when I will finally attempt to complete the 26.2-mile course. Over the Easter weekend I ran my last long training run of 20 miles and felt on great form - not bad considering that just 15 months ago I topped the scales at a whopping 16st 12lb. As I'm just 5ft 10in, that made me a great hog of a man, unable to run because I was a fatty. My waistline had been expanding since I was in my early 20s and I was a scriptwriter on children's TV programmes such as Pingu. I would eat cakes while working. Then, when I became a wine expert in my late 20s, I was soon eating and drinking for two, devouring massive portions including bacon sandwiches for breakfast, rich restaurant lunches and hearty stews or piles of pasta for dinner. I snacked on cakes and biscuits and adored puddings with custard. And, of course, there were days when I would have wine with lunch and dinner. Wine is central to my work when I'm filming programmes such as Saturday Kitchen, or giving talks in my wine bar, The Glass House, aboard P&O's cruise liner Azura. In the end it took me just four months to lose 4st 4lb. I now weigh a healthy 12st 8lb - and I did not have to compromise on my huge love of wine and food. So how did I do it? Simply by choosing wines with a naturally lower alcoholic content (and therefore lower-calorie), and cutting down mealtime portions. Like millions of people, I'd dabbled in faddy diets over the years, losing half a stone here and there before putting it back on. But I was oblivious to how fat I was. The penny began to drop in 2011 when my mother and grandmother commented on my weight, saying: "It's a pity you're so large - you used to be so handsome." But the real turning point came in December 2011 when I was confined to bed with flu - the real stuff, not man flu - for three weeks. I'm asthmatic and when I couldn't clear my chest, it felt as if I was drowning. I would have recovered more quickly had I not been grossly overweight and physically unfit. One morning my two little girls - Ruby, now eight, and Lily, six - were standing by my bed wondering if Daddy was ever going to get up. That's when it hit me: my being overweight was affecting them and my wife, Sophie, too. There was something about approaching 40 - I'm 38 - that forced me to admit I could no longer take good health for granted. Thoughts turned to my grandpa, who was lucky to survive a massive heart attack in his early 40s. After losing weight and getting fit, he lived until his 80s. At the start of 2012, I made big and permanent changes. First, I reduced my portion sizes by a third, and discovered that fish and shellfish - which I'd always ignored - are nutritious and absolutely delicious. Now I can't get enough of sardines on toasted rye bread with seasoning and a squeeze of lemon juice. A point to prove: Olly Smith in his wine bar on ship Azura in 2010, before the marathon training that saw him drop the weight I swapped cakes for crunchy apples - what a revelation! - and fatty meats for leaner ones, such as rabbit. Creamy sauces were replaced by sparky versions made from ginger and spices. Out went chips and in came sweet potatoes, a delicious source of slow-release energy. But how would I get healthy while still drinking my beloved wine? I couldn't cut out alcohol altogether because it's my livelihood, but booze is full of calories and increases your appetite. I discovered pretty quickly that most purpose-made low-alcohol, low-calorie wines are pretty revolting. Instead I resolved to stick to really good wines but to have only one glass instead of two or three, sipping and savouring them rather than glugging them. Stick to wines with lower levels of alcohol such as English whites or Spanish cava. Alternatively, splash out on a really delicious bottle, but savour it. One glass instead of two is a good rule of thumb. In general, wines designed to be low-calorie or low-alcohol don't taste great. At a push I'd give a shout to Jacob's Creek zesty Cool Harvest Sauvignon Blanc 2011 (10.5 per cent) and fruity J. P. Chenet Merlot Light (5.5 per cent). Invest in a device such as WineSave (£20 from aroundwine.co.uk). It protects opened wine by laying argon - an inert gas - across the wine's surface in the bottle. This will keep it in good condition for weeks at a time, so you don't feel obliged to drink the whole bottle at once. The Drinkaware website (drink aware.co.uk) has a brilliant tool that reveals the calorie content of your favourite tipples. Through the site, I found out that a standard-size glass of red wine contains about 140 calories, and a pint of my favourite beer around 250 calories. However, Portuguese vinho verde, English whites and French reds contain more restrained levels of alcohol (typically 11 or 12 per cent), and about 30 fewer calories per glass. I sipped a lot of English wine while losing the weight. Determined to get fit, I spent £100 on an exercise bike and pedalled vigorously for ten minutes a day. Then, last spring I bought a road bike and rediscovered the joy of cycling through the countryside. I also took up running and could soon jog for a couple of miles at a time. By last December, I managed to cover 13.2 miles - half-marathon distance - for the first time as part of my training for today's event. Recently I competed in the Wokingham Half-Marathon, finishing it in two hours five minutes. Running has made me fitter, leaner and stronger than ever and it's the best stress-reliever I know - it's become my thinking time. I still eat out three or four times a week but I choose from the menu wisely. If I indulge in fish and chips or a juicy burger at lunchtime, I'm careful about what I eat for the rest of the day and do more exercise. I'll still cheerfully polish off a couple of glasses of wine sometimes, but my weekly units are within national guidelines - no more than three or four units of alcohol a day, or 21 a week. One large 250ml glass of red wine at 14 per cent alcohol equates to 2.5 units and 175 calories. Women should not exceed two or three units a day, or 14 a week. I'm still jolly Olly - in fact, I'm even jollier - but the fat version is gone for good. One nice woman summed it up when commenting on my weight loss at the Good Food Show last November: "You couldn't have gone on as you were, Olly." Hopefully, when I cross the finishing line today, she'll raise a glass to just how far I've come. Olly Smith is running for rockinghorse.org.uk, a charity for sick children in East Sussex. Visit justgiving.com/jollyolly. My surgeon said I hadn't just dodged a bullet - I'd dodged a cannonball By Jane Oddy As he lines up at Greenwich Park for the start of today's London Marathon, Australian rugby legend Michael Lynagh will reflect on his battle to get there. Best known for his triumphs on the field, Michael hit the headlines for a very different reason last April when he suffered a life-threatening stroke. Despite his lasting sight problems, the Sky Sports rugby pundit has astounded medics with the speed of his recovery. 'Lucky': Former Australian Rugby Union Captain Michael Lynagh is set to run the London Marathon a mere 12 months after suffering a life-threatening stroke "I have lost almost half the vision in one eye and can no longer ride my bike or drive a car, but I can walk, talk and read and some people have none of that," says Michael, who was capped 72 times by Australia. One neurosurgeon told me that I didn't just dodge a bullet - I dodged a great big cannonball. I think, "Why have I been one of the lucky ones?" " Keen to help those less fortunate, the 49-year-old is raising money for the Stroke Association's Life After Stroke project, which seeks to help survivors get back to work. He is competing with seven colleagues. Michael has been training in Richmond Park, close to his home in Twickenham, South-West London, and is determined to complete the course - no matter how long it takes. To say I'm running the marathon is a loose term - trying to finish it would be better. I may have to walk," he says. Michael, who retired from rugby in 1998, was in a pub during a holiday in his native Brisbane last April when he suffered the stroke. "I laughed at one of the guys" funny stories and a sip of beer went down the wrong way, causing me to choke quite violently," he recalls. When I stopped coughing, I couldn't see and was hit by a sudden headache. Fortunately, one friend, a physio, realised something was wrong. Paramedics arrived within 15 minutes, and Michael was taken to the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, where a brain scan revealed one of his arteries had split and caused a clot, stopping blood flowing to his brain. Michael did not display any of the usual stroke symptoms, such as slurred speech, and so could still communicate with doctors. Nifty feet: Michael Lynagh, pictured during his time as a fly-half for of Australia, in a Rugby Union match between Australia and Wales in 1984 "The blood clot was the size of my fist and a fraction of a millimetre from touching my spinal cord - if it does, it's game over," he explains. Surgeons would normally operate to reduce the pressure, but mine decided not to as the procedure is risky and I was functioning well. Instead Michael was monitored in intensive care and woken every 30 minutes to check his mental function. Doctors also gave him salt tablets to reduce the swelling. Within a week, Michael was deemed to be was out of danger. He spent a further ten days in hospital, then five weeks recuperating at his parents" home in Australia. His wife Isabella, 43, visited him before returning to London to look after the couple's three young sons. Doctors still do not know for sure what caused the stroke. "They don't think it was rugby-related because it happened so long after I retired," says Michael. If there had been weakness in my arteries there would have been dizzy spells, but there were no warning signs. They suspect it was triggered by a combination of sleeping on the plane with my neck in a strange position and the muscles tightening up when I coughed violently. Michael admits that he has suffered some "dark moments" over the past year. There have since been times when I've felt depressed. I was becoming short-tempered with my boys, so I've worked at that and my mood is more even now. "I'm sure people think, "He looks fine - what's the fuss about?" That can be frustrating because I deal with it every day. I have only peripheral vision so it can be disorientating when people come from different directions. But Michael really feels for less fortunate survivors, who find themselves suddenly out of a job. Sky has been fantastic but one of my contracts dried up, which was a shock. I'm fortunate but for those who can no longer read and write or get to work, it's catastrophic. We need to integrate them back into society. The Stroke Association's back-to-work initiative, due to launch later this year, will help. "I want to contribute because, really, I shouldn't be here," says Michael. From the moment my stroke happened, luck was on my side. It was a miracle I survived. lMichael is an ambassador for the Stroke Association. To sponsor him, visit justgiving.com/TeamSkyForStroke.