Runners are already in training to take part in next week’s Race For Life event in Maidstone’s Mote Park.

Among the many thousands of women expected to join in will be cancer survivor Jackie Geary from Tassell Close, East Malling.

She is planning to do the 10k event on Sunday, July 12.

Mrs Geary said: “I’m determined to show cancer that ‘hell hath no fury like a woman in pink’.”

Mrs Geary, 47, has recruited her daughters Olivia, 16, and Katie, 14, to run alongside her – and also her Yorkshire Terrier Elvis.

She said: “I did the Clapham Common 5k Race for Life a couple of weeks ago so that has set me up nicely to double the distance at Maidstone.

“Many women might be nervous about taking on 10k, but it really doesn’t matter how fit or fast you are. As a cancer survivor I know first-hand the incredible difference women who take part in Race for Life 10k can make to people like me.

“That, and my family and my friends, will be what keeps me going the distance.”

Mrs Geary, an executive director for a professional services firm, was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia in November 2012 after suffering a deep vein thrombosis in her leg. She spent 16 weeks in hospital undergoing chemotherapy treatment, finishing in June 2013.

She said: “That now seems like a bad dream and two years on, a long way behind me.

“I get a little nervous around blood tests and check-ups, but otherwise I’m feeling great and so happy to still be here.”

She invited other women to join her on the race, saying: “If I can do it, anyone can.

“I hope other women to stand shoulder to shoulder with me. The more we are, the stronger we grow.”

Money raised through Race for Life helps Cancer Research UK fund research into a cure.

To enter the race, call 0300 123 0770.