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CF won't stop me running 100 parkruns!

Feature - 20/11/2025

Ethan, 9, who has cystic fibrosis (CF), recently completed his 100th parkrun. Ahead of the big day, we caught up with Ethan and his mum, Fiona, to chat all things running, Ethan’s hopes for the future, and his advice for other young people with CF.

Ethan’s story

One of my favourite things about parkrun is the friends you make. Everyone is really welcoming and encouraging. I also really like running; it’s fun to do, I find it calming and it gets me out the house.

I’m always looking to push myself and get a new personal best. Running has also helped with my CF, as it keeps my lungs nice and healthy and is a form of physio.

I like other sports too, especially rugby and tennis – when I’m older I’d like to be a professional tennis player and one day I hope to run a half marathon.

My advice to other children with CF is try not to worry too much. There’s still loads of fun things you can do, you just have to be extra careful with certain things.

I don’t want to stop at 100 – I’d love to get to 250 parkruns and beyond!

Fiona’s story

When Ethan was born, it was super scary to receive the CF diagnosis. He was really poorly and it was overwhelming at times. We couldn’t really imagine what our life would be like and my only knowledge of CF was from a Blue Peter episode where they were doing the chest percussion.

Our CF team at Leicester were amazing and really guided us through those early days. Cystic Fibrosis Trust have also been a big support – we find the information really valuable to dip in and out of, and the school resources have been important throughout Ethan’s childhood, when explaining cystic fibrosis to his teachers.

I’m so proud of Ethan – when he zooms off during parkrun you’d never know that he’s got cystic fibrosis and everything he’s dealing with. People don’t see the treatment burden and what goes on behind closed doors. They don’t see the daily challenges and the things that he does miss out on.

My hope for Ethan’s future is that he is happy and healthy and can do everything he wants to in life.

If Ethan’s inspired you to take on a running challenge for the Trust, you can browse through all our events to find one for you.

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