COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- Mike Ray is battling stage 4 colon cancer. The Hilliard man was set to run the Columbus Marathon Sunday, but his health took a turn, and doctors told him he couldn't.  Ray's story is one of grit and determination. The husband and father of four has been battling cancer for the last four years but doesn't want that to define him. That's why when he was told he couldn't leave Ohio State’s James Cancer Center to run the marathon, he improvised.  Central Ohio community comes together for 44th marathon to give back Instead, he fought through all odds and walked on his own at the hospital.  "I'm not allowed to run for safety reasons because of hospital policy, but I can walk, so I'm walking," Ray said.  Ray started bright and early at 6:40 a.m. Sunday.   He has a procedure on Monday, but in between nurse visits, he put one foot in front of the other, pushing forward just as he's done throughout his journey with cancer.  "I've been tracking with my Fitbit and my Nike Plus running app, and also a timer on my phone," Ray said.  Ray said that through it all, including his version of the Columbus Marathon, he's never given up.   Buckeyes placed at No. 4 spot in new rankings, Oregon becomes new No. 1 "Whether it's cancer, whether it's life, like I try to teach my kids because I have four of them, is like it doesn't really matter what the heck is going on," Ray said. "It can always be worse, so just dig in and go."  Sure enough, nine hours and 38 minutes later, Ray finished what he set out to do: he walked a marathon.  Mike Ray and his 2024 Columbus Marathon medal. (PHOTO COURTESY MIKE RAY) Ray said one of the most upsetting parts about not running the marathon was not getting a medal, but his friend Erin came to the rescue. Erin ran in the Columbus Marathon, then joined Ray at the James to finish the hardest last three miles with him. When he reached 26.2 miles, he got his medal after all.  "It was one of the things I think I learned from my father is, you know, just do it," Ray said. "It doesn't matter. Just do it and we'll deal with it later. Figure it out later, but just get it done.  Ray said he's determined to run his first-ever marathon, specifically the Columbus Marathon. He said he's looking at 2026, because he's hopeful he'll get the liver he needs which will give him enough time to heal, recover, and get back to it.