Gareth Dunnett shakes his head with amusement at the suggestion he is the Sir Chris Hoy of the north-east of Scotland.
“I don’t have his Olympic medals,” he says with a laugh.
But the parallels are striking. Last August, Gareth was diagnosed with metastatic prostate cancer — the same aggressive form that Hoy revealed he is now facing.
And though at 59 Gareth has a decade on Sir Chris, both are extremely-fit-for-their-age family men who mistook early warning signs for minor injuries.
There is one important difference, however. While Hoy’s prognosis made headlines — with a doctor giving him two to four years to live — Gareth has reasons to feel more optimistic.
“They told me my cancer is controlled,” he says. “I’m still uncertain about the future, but they’ve given me hope that there are years ahead of me yet. I’m hanging on to that.”
How Gareth Dunnett received his cancer diagnosis
For Gareth, an active member of Aberdeen’s Fit Like Joggers running club and a familiar face leading tours of the city’s Nuart Aberdeen street art festival, the diagnosis was a devastating shock.
“There were no symptoms at all — no getting up at night, no problems that would have made me think of prostate cancer,” he says. “It was just that sore shoulder. It got worse and worse, until the pain became intense.”
When blood tests revealed a dangerously high PSA level — a marker for prostate issues — things moved quickly.
Within days, Gareth was undergoing scans and tests at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary.
The cancer had spread from his prostate to his bones: his pelvis, spine, ribs, shoulder blades and even the base of his skull.
It was a lot to take in.
“My dad had prostate cancer when he was older, but it was slow-growing and manageable,” Gareth says. “When they told me mine was stage four, I thought, ‘This is it.’
“I started writing my life story, I started making plans for the end. I honestly didn’t know if I would see Christmas.”
He underwent six rounds of chemotherapy, followed by ongoing hormone therapy. The treatment was gruelling — but it worked.
“It brought the cancer under control. I’m now classed as ‘controlled’, not cured — but controlled.
“There’s uncertainty, of course. It could come back in a year, two years, five years… or longer.
“But the doctors have said if it comes back, they can treat it again. That’s given me the breathing room to start thinking about the future.”
Finding strength in community
Running has been Gareth’s constant throughout his ordeal.
He baulks at the idea that he’s a ‘keen’ runner – “I’m not one for long runs,” he says – but he is definitely an active one.
Last weekend, he took part in Run Balmoral as he works his way back to full fitness.
Even during chemo, he ran with Aberdeen running club Fit Like Joggers, and the support from fellow runners proved invaluable.
“They’ve been brilliant,” he says. “Checking in on me, encouraging me. They’re more than a running club — they’re a community.”
His wife, son Hamish and daughter Sarah have also been by his side every step of the way. Sarah recently dedicated her dissertation for her final year at Glasgow Caledonian University to her dad.
“Every late night, every word, every moment of doubt, I did this for you,” she wrote. “Your strength gave me mine.”
“There’s no manual for how to act when you get cancer,” Gareth says. “At first I didn’t know what to say or do. I just decided to be honest — to tell people.
“And I think that helped, because people rallied around.”
He also found comfort in local support groups, joining monthly sessions at Maggie’s and taking part in a 12-week “Prostate Fit” programme at Pittodrie, run by the Aberdeen FC Community Trust.
“It was strange at first, talking openly about cancer,” he admits. “But sitting in a room with other men, some just starting treatment, some 18 years down the line — it gives you perspective.
“You hear their stories, you share your own. It makes it feel less isolating.”
A leap out of his comfort zone
In another twist, Gareth is also about to take on a challenge he never imagined: strutting down a catwalk in front of hundreds of people.
He’s taking part in Brave, the annual fashion show at P&J Live organised by another local cancer support group, Friends of Anchor, to raise funds for cancer and haematology services in the north-east.
“I was very close to deleting the application email,” Gareth laughs. “It’s way outside my comfort zone. I thought, ‘No, that’s not me.’
“But a few days later, I changed my mind. I realised I needed a distraction, a project — something positive to focus on.”
Training for Brave, alongside others who have faced cancer, has been emotional but uplifting.
“We’re all in the same boat,” he says. “Everyone’s nervous, but there’s a great sense of camaraderie. And it’s for such an important cause.”
He’s already raised more than £5,000 — smashing his original target — and will be cheered on by dozens of friends from Fit Like Joggers, former workmates and family.
Gareth’s determination to live in the present
As for the future, Gareth is keeping things open.
After years working as a data manager and software specialist in the oil and gas industry — including postings in more than 30 countries — he’s now weighing up whether to return to work or embrace retirement.
“I feel too young to stop completely,” he says. “But after everything, you think differently about time. You think, ‘What do I want to do with the time I have?’”
He continues volunteering with Nuart, helping artists create the colourful murals that brighten Aberdeen’s streets.
He’s also kept up his hobby of pumpkin and neep carving, something he picked up during his time working in Texas.
The practice has paid off – he’s twice been crowned Aberdeen’s “Neep Carving Champion” and is contemplating a tilt at a third win.
But it’s the small, everyday things that Gareth treasures most now: a jog with friends, or a good laugh with his support groups.
“It’s good just to get out,” he says. “And continue as much as normal as possible.”
A cancer support group with an Olympic legend
Sharing a diagnosis with one of Scotland’s most famous athletes still feels surreal to Gareth.
At Maggie’s support groups, he’s found it invaluable to learn from others further down the road — people who have lived for years with prostate cancer and can share what to expect.
With Sir Chris, it’s like being in another support group, but one that has an Olympic legend in it.
Gareth has even read Hoy’s book, All That Matters, though unlike most of its other readers, he did so for the practical advice.
He came away disappointed.
“It was inspiring, definitely,” he says. “But it didn’t have the detail I was looking for — the symptoms, the treatments, the day-to-day reality. That’s what I’m still figuring out.”
For now, Gareth is focused on writing his own story, one in which his family and friends are at the centre.
“Cancer forces you to live in the moment,” he says. “You don’t know what’s around the corner, but none of us do, really.
“So you make the most of every day you’re given.”
To donate to Gareth’s fundraiser, click here.
Conversation