INSPIRATION ALERT! This Runner Palpated His Testicles for 26.2 Miles to Raise Awareness of Testicular Cancer
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When Steve Perry learned his 24-year-old brother had been diagnosed with testicular cancer, he was stunned—and shortly after that, he became determined to find a way to raise awareness of the disease.
“He was so young, so healthy, it was just a shock,” Perry said in a phone interview with Dumb Runner. “His doctor caught it early, thank goodness, and he’s fine now, but man… what a scare.”
About 1 in every 250 men will develop testicular cancer “at some point during their lifetime,” according to The American Cancer Society, and it “usually can be treated successfully.”
“My brother dodged a bullet, but not everyone is so lucky,” said Perry, 28. “I knew I had to think of a way to let others know about this risk.”
Perry, an avid runner, soon landed on a creative answer: He would run an entire marathon while palpating his testicles. Many doctors recommend that men regularly feel, or “palpate,” their testicles for lumps or other changes, as a method of early detection.
Last weekend Perry completed that race, the Hanford (California) Marathon, in a time of 3 hours 49 minutes 22 seconds—and, as promised, he had one hand down his shorts every step of the way.
It wasn’t easy, Perry said, but he’s glad he did it.
“I definitely started a few interesting conversations along the way,” he said, “and I can now say with certainty that my own testicles are lump-free.”
Perry said he isn’t likely to repeat his testicle exam marathon, but he’s already considering other cancers he can spotlight through running.
“Maybe a colon cancer thing,” he said. “Though the logistics with that one might be tricky.”
