'The pesky cancer has got me' - mum's final words

"If you are reading this, it means that the pesky cancer has got me." Those are the words of parkrun regular and mother-of-two, Hannah Corne.

Corne, from Leeds, made headlines last year when she signed up to an Ironman challenge after being diagnosed with a rare eye cancer.

A social media post published posthumously on her behalf on Thursday announced she had died aged 45.

Corne told followers: "I don't have any wise words to leave you with but remember to get outside, climb a mountain, experience life at its fullest, be kind and find a little pocket of joy every day."

Corne, a former parkrun UK board director who helped run Mini Mermaid Running Club, was diagnosed with stage four ocular melanoma in 2024.

When she was told she had a year to live after the cancer spread to her liver, she signed up to take part in Ironman Leeds "to prove people wrong".

Due to intense pain, she had to abandon the event on the day but completed the remainder of the 56-mile (90km) cycle race and ran a marathon a month later.

At the time, she told the BBC: "Ironman was one of the best days of my life.

"It was such an incredible thing to be a part of and to be able to finish it today is the icing on the cake."

Her death was announced on social media on Thursday in a post shared on her behalf.

"If you are reading this, it means that the pesky cancer has got me," she wrote.

"My time on this earth is up."

She expressed deep gratitude for a life "filled with love and adventure", and thanked those who were part of it.

"I shall miss you all dearly but whenever you see a sunrise or sunset I hope you remember me with a smile," she said.

"Until we meet again, all my love, HC."

On Saturday, dozens of people gathered at Roundhay Park in Leeds to pay tribute to their "inspiring" friend.

One person told BBC Look North: "She was just everybody else's biggest champion.

"She helped me believe that I could do an Ironman alongside her and she did that for a lot of people."

Another said: "Hannah was absolutely passionate about getting out, getting moving, getting walking, getting running.

"There are so many people here that Hannah will have supported, influenced, inspired."

Another attendee said: "The amount of people that she's inspired is just incredible.

"She'll be really, really missed."

In a statement shared on Facebook, parkrun UK said Corne had been known for her courage and relentless humour, and would be "fondly remembered and missed by many".

Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.