Calgary man trains for Boston Marathon after overcoming serious health problems

Watching Wayne Shuttleworth and his daughter Laura run together, it’s hard to believe the serious health problems he’s faced.

But the Calgary man has overcome those challenges, and he’s now excited about training for the Boston Marathon on April 15.

“It’s the premiere race in the world,” Shuttleworth said.

It’s the third year in a row that’s he’s qualified for the event, after running marathons in Alberta.

Shuttleworth turns 60 this May, only taking up running at the age of 52 as a way to improve his health.

“I’m a cancer survivor, prostate cancer. That was my first big health scare,” Shuttleworth said. “I went for surgery. Luckily, I caught it very, very early.”

A few years later, he was shocked by another health scare.

“I was diagnosed with COPD, Chronic Pulmonary Obstructive Disease, so you lose lung volume,” Shuttleworth said. “And then I’ve had asthma since I was a tiny little boy. I’ve been on a puffer my whole life.”

Running has brought major improvements to his health.

“Now my doctor’s my biggest fan and he’s asking me about other races to go in all the time,” Shuttleworth said. “So it’s been a really cool ride these past few years.”

His new focus on fitness has also inspired his daughter to take up running.

“I realized that my parents, in their 50s, were fitter than me in my 20s,” Laura Shuttleworth said. “And that was a little embarrassing.”

“We have a goal between the two of us,” Wayne Shuttleworth said. “To do a father-daughter team at the Boston Marathon, if we can both qualify.”