Community / Fundraiser takes on ‘virtual’ marathon
A WOMAN originally from Lerwick who has raised over £2,000 for Alzheimer’s Society took part in a ‘virtual’ London Marathon at the weekend.
Morag Smith’s place in the real marathon has been deferred until 2021 as a result of the coronavirus pandemic but she decided to run the equivalent 26.2 miles on Sunday (4 October).
She battled through the elements, running from Windsor Castle to Buckingham Palace in a time of five hours and 54 minutes.
The virtual London marathon encouraged people to run their own 26.2 mile route in the absence of the real event.
Flooding and protests in central London resulted in her run totalling 27.5 miles as she altered her route.
“Every time we thought of giving up, I would look to the donations and messages of support from people who had faith that I could do this; that’s what kept me going and I couldn’t be more grateful to them all,” Morag said.
The 25-year-old, who works in the charity sector in London, said the “massive shock” of realising her dad slowly was slipping away from her due to Alzheimer’s made her want to help to raise much needed funds.
“You always hear about it but until you’re living with it you don’t realise what it really means,” she said.
“Everything becomes a lot more stressed and stripped back to basics in terms of what you can do.
“The support that Alzheimer’s Society offer as well as their world class research is lifeline to people affected and provides hope for the future.
“That’s why, if running a marathon can prevent another family the devastation of dementia and Alzheimer’s every one of those miles will be worth it.”
Morag’s fundraising page can be found online.
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