British athlete, who faced terminal brain tumour at 25, takes pit stop at Mohali in 4,000-km journey to Kanyakumari

Jack explained that he starts running at 5:30 am, covering 35 km by noon. In the evening, he runs another 15 km, completing 50 km every single day. His support team stays with him at all times, and in every city local runners join him, giving him extra motivation.

When cancer was diagnosed, it felt like ‘death sentence’

“When someone is diagnosed with a dangerous disease, it feels like a death sentence,” Jack said. “But I turned my pain into purpose. If my illness had never been diagnosed, I might never have had these incredible experiences. The power to turn a negative situation into a positive one lies within us.”

He added that India has helped him understand the true meaning of life. On a lighter note, the long-distance runner said, “when I run on the highways, people are surprised to see a gora (white foreigner) running on Indian roads. Many local runners and cyclists join me, and that inspires me even more”.

Jack expressed special thanks for the hospitality of Mohanbir Singh Shergill, head of Paragon School; and the school’s administrative director Harshdeep Singh Shergill and teacher Deep Shergill.

Deep, herself a marathon runner, said “Jack’s journey is deeply inspiring for me. I turned my own family grief into purpose by building a running community. Warriors like Jack are role models for all of us”.

Mohanbir stated that it is their responsibility to inspire children toward health, courage, and positive thinking and “Jack’s journey will give our students immense motivation”.

After the programme, the school management waved the flag to send Jack off for the next leg of his run. This mission also carries the spiritual blessings of Sant Baba Paramjit Singh Ji and Sant Baba Ajit Singh Ji Hansali Sahib.