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Steve Lee has also persuaded his running club, Reading Roadrunners, to adopt the June Hancock Mesothelioma Research Fund as its charity for this year's half marathon.

The charity specialises in mesothelioma, a type of cancer which is generally caused by exposure to asbestos.

In previous years the club has raised tens of thousands of pounds for such causes.   

Steve Lee

“I’m trying to raise money and trying to raise awareness of the disease as part of my therapy. It’s given me a goal.” said Steve.

Steve came out of Reading’s Royal Berkshire hospital  last week after having seven litres of fluid removed from his lungs.

He has been running for 25 years, but had to stop the activity recently because of the build up of the fluid.

“It pushes on the lung and makes breathing difficult." he said.

"I’m feeling fine now. I’ve entered the half marathon, whether or not I do it depends on how I got on from now.
"If I don’t run it my wife, Ros, will run it and I’ll go round the course collecting money in a bucket.”

“I’m fine running as long as I pace myself. I get a bit of discomfort, but I feel great afterwards.” he said.

Steve first realised there was something wrong three years ago when he felt strange while out running.

He was diagnosed with the disease in 2007, around the time he married his wife Ros.

“I felt completely devastated, but it was something I’d always had in the back of my mind because of dad. I knew I might have been exposed to asbestos,” he said.

Steve had  lived with his parents in an asbestos-built prefabricated bungalow in Canvey Island, Essex. He also worked with his dad on building sites as a student at a time when asbestos was still widely used.

Mesothelioma also killed Steve's father.

After the diagnosis he was given the chance of taking part in a trial treatment, which would have involved the removal of his right lung and chemo or radiotherapy.

“It was the choice of a terrible operation or having a faint glimmer of hope of survival.

"I decided not to have surgery because you could die from the operation and there was no guarantee of its success." he said.

“And what sort of a life would I have had with one lung? I thought if I’m dead within a year so be it.” 

Steve believes his fitness level, built up over years of distance running, has helped him stay in relatively good condition  since then and he is determined that some good will come out of his personal tragedy.

Anyone who wants to contribute to the fund can contact Steve on 07967350788