French Sailor Battles Cancer, Wins 64-Day Solo Race: 'I Was Happy at Sea'
French offshore sailor Charlie Dalin, 41, claimed victory in the prestigious 2024/2025 Vendée Globe solo round-the-world race in January. However, he recently revealed that he completed the race, which took 64 days, 19 hours, 22 minutes, and 49 seconds, while undergoing treatment for a gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST), a rare form of cancer that originates in the digestive tract.
In an exclusive interview, the naval architect — who released his autobiography, La Force du Destin (“The Force of Destiny”) on Thursday — shared his inspiring story at sea, where he simultaneously battled the ocean and his illness. He described the moment he discovered he had a GIST attached to the outside of his small intestine, which had likely been growing for several years. “It was a huge shock,” he recalled.
What Is a GIST Tumor?
According to the Mayo Clinic, gastrointestinal stromal tumors typically develop in the stomach or small intestine, as in Dalin’s case. Small GISTs often do not cause symptoms and grow slowly, but they can eventually lead to abdominal pain and nausea. At the time of his diagnosis, Dalin said, “I didn’t know if it was treatable, or if I would even be able to celebrate my 40th birthday a few months later.”
A Year Before the Race
Roughly one year before beginning the Vendée Globe, Dalin experienced persistent abdominal pain and lost about ten pounds. Despite this, he continued with his training and qualified for the race, which he had previously placed second in during the 2020 edition. “That’s when I learned I would need surgery and begin immunotherapy to shrink the tumor as much as possible.”
“The Pain Disappeared”
Dalin stated that his oncologist cleared him for the race, emphasizing that he would not have participated if there had been any hesitation from his medical team. He said that once he started treatment, “I regained weight, endurance, and strength, and the pain disappeared.” His optimism never wavered, and he carried three or four months’ worth of medications with him, just in case.
“I don’t think much about the illness anymore; I was happy at sea and made the most of every minute sailing.”
He added, “I felt like I had my old life back, despite some bouts of major fatigue. I honestly didn’t have much self-doubt. I was both relaxed and calm about the stakes, and more motivated than ever to win.”
Daily Life at Sea
During the unassisted yacht race, Dalin managed to average six and a half hours of sleep per day, broken into naps. He even slept twice for 11 hours straight — something many people on land could not achieve.
After his incredible victory, however, Dalin faced another setback. He was unable to attend his own prize ceremony on May 10, which also happened to be his 41st birthday. But he did not let this affect the magnitude of his win. “It was a tough period. And it was a great victory, since a year earlier I didn’t even know if I’d still be alive.”
A ‘Period of Uncertainty’
Dalin later underwent another surgery, and his medical team found that the illness had returned in a slightly different form. During a “period of uncertainty,” he said his immunotherapy stopped working, and he lost weight again. Eventually, a new treatment stabilized his condition, though it is far from over.
For now, Dalin is realistic about the fact that he will not compete in the 2028 Vendée Globe because it would be too exhausting and risky. Instead, he is using his energy to inspire others with his courageous story. He thanks his doctors for helping him understand that speaking openly could help other patients and their loved ones, as he was once very private about his health after his diagnosis.
“While it’s good to give hope and the desire to fight, you also have to [be careful],” he said. “This illness really is case by case, and everyone does what they can within their own limits.”
What’s Next?
As for what is next for Dalin, the waterman said he is not quite sure. “I hope to return to transatlantic races, but for now, everything is on hold.”
Resilience: Staying Positive Despite Adversity
My healthy of life specializes in covering the lives of people who overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Often, seeing the positive helps them maintain their resilience.
The extraordinary film Resilience follows a trio of adaptive athletes, including Jerad Fischer, who talk about “refusing to live with boundaries.” Their stories, which illustrate an unconquerable human spirit, are inspirational for anyone living with cancer or chronic disease.
Take Jerad Fischer. Despite having had his leg amputated in an accident, Fischer continues to pursue his passion for mountain biking. He straps on a prosthetic leg and regularly speeds over ramps and rough terrain with his friends. His enjoyment of his sport inspires his buddies, who listen to him hoot as he sails over a small hill and see his wide smile when he comes down.
Lindsey Runkel and Dan Soller, who also suffered debilitating injuries, refuse to let their injuries change their lives or stop them from pursuing their passions.
Watch: Resilience on My healthy of life
Dr. Zuri Murrell, a leading colorectal cancer surgeon in Los Angeles, previously spoke with My healthy of life about the role of a positive outlook on survival rates: “I’m pretty good at telling what kind of patient are going to still have this attitude and probably going to live the longest, even with bad, bad disease. And those are patients who, they have gratitude in life.”
Bouncing Back from Tough Times
Resilience is an important trait, but not the easiest to build. The ultimate goal is not to avoid tough times, but to be able to bounce back from them. And yet, when they are faced with an overwhelming, life-changing situation, how do people shift their view? How do they learn to see the problem as temporary, rather than permanent, and figure out a solution?
It’s complicated, because building resilience is more about your mental and emotional fortitude than anything else. According to the American Psychological Association, “the resources and skills associated with more positive adaptation (i.e., greater resilience) can be cultivated and practiced.” In other words, resilience is not something you’re born with, which should be encouraging. Instead, after every challenge in your life, you build more and more resilience to those hard times.
You can build resilience the way you build muscle – through patience and steady exercise of the skill. Here are some lessons taken from Fischer, Runkel, and Soller:
- Be willing to learn. If one way doesn’t work, find a different way. If an obstacle lands in your way, build a path around it or over it. In Resilience, one of the athletes says, “You always have to be learning. Otherwise, life gets stagnant.” The more you learn, the more you grow and growth is a sign of resilience.
- Spend time with people who inspire you. Our world is filled with people who overcome challenges, and their success can energize you to overcome your own. Think about famous people who have faced adversity and did not give up. Stephen King actually threw his manuscript, Carrie, in the trash because it had been rejected by publishers so many times. His wife encouraged him to keep sending it out, and he finally sold it in 1974, launching a massively successful career as a novelist.
- Allow yourself to grieve. Don’t push away or dismiss your frustration and sadness. Ben Fischer says that life can be filled with lots of crying, but “Those cries make us stronger.”
- Be flexible. Abandon the idea that there is only one solution or that you must stick to your original plan. The best solution or plan is the one that eventually works. You may need to change your original plan as the circumstances change.
- Lean in to your community. Your friends, colleagues, and family are invaluable, and when you’re feeling stressed or overwhelmed by a problem, their support can carry you. The Harvard Study of Adult Development is the longest study of human well-being. Many news outlets have covered its results, which show that maintaining strong, healthy relationships helped people live longer lives. Psychiatrist and author Dr. Samantha Boardman tells My healthy of life that connecting with and contributing to the lives of other people are two of “the three wellsprings of vitality” (the third is feeling positively challenged).
Stream Resilience and many other stories of courage and determination like Charlie Dalin’s on My healthy of life.
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