Toronto Runner Raises $137K for Cancer Center That Saved Him

Three years after beating non-Hodgkin lymphoma at age 35, Brandon Throop will run past the very hospital that saved his life while wearing a hospital gown and chasing a world record.

Throop returns to the TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon this October for his third attempt at the Guinness World Record for fastest marathon in a hospital gown. The current record stands at 2:50:12, and Throop has come close twice, running 2:55:59 in 2023 and 2:55:01 in 2024.

But the record is secondary to his real mission. Throop is raising money for Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation, the research and treatment center where he received chemotherapy starting in October 2022.

"Everything happened so quickly, and it was so overwhelming," Throop said. "But it was an incredible place to go through treatment. The research that they've done and continue to do is incredible, and I'm here in a massive part because of that."

When diagnosed with cancer, Throop had two young children and faced a life-threatening illness. Today, he's been cancer-free for over three years and has raised more than $137,000 toward his $150,000 goal through Princess Margaret's fundraising programs.

Running became his path back to himself. After treatment left him so weak he couldn't climb stairs without coughing and wheezing, Throop started by walking around the block and slowly building up his strength.

"I've been a lifelong runner, and I just love the process of it and the work," he said. "It helped me rediscover who I was post-cancer."

The Ripple Effect

Princess Margaret Cancer Centre treats more than 400,000 patients annually, making it Canada's largest cancer center and one of the five largest worldwide. Throop's fundraising goes directly to the lymphoma research program that developed the treatments that saved him.

His fundraising page lets donors support specific cancer research, meaning every dollar he raises goes toward helping future patients facing the same diagnosis he survived.

People often ask why he doesn't attempt the record on a faster, easier course. The Toronto marathon features challenging on-ramps and exposed stretches where wind and rain can slow runners down, especially during the brutal final 10 kilometers.

"It feels right to set the record in Toronto," Throop explained. "Where I run past Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, in front of the people, family and friends that supported me along the way."

The 2026 race will mark four years since his first chemotherapy treatment and three and a half years cancer-free. For Throop, running past the hospital in a gown isn't just about breaking a record—it's about showing other patients what's possible on the other side of treatment.