My biggest running inspiration is my dad. I told him when I was 7 I wanted to run the London Marathon as soon as I was old enough. 25 years ago, aged 18 years and 1 month, after a period of training with my dad, we ran my first marathon together. It was so horrendous I didn’t run another until 2003! My dad stuck with me and got me round!

We subsequently ran 2 more marathons together, London in 2003 and Loch Ness in 2007. I have since run 40 more marathons and he continued running occasional marathons into his early 70s. He has now hung up his marathon shoes but still heads to parkrun most weekends.

In October 2021 my dad was diagnosed with Alzheimers. Watching him steadily decline from the busy and active man he was to the often confused, forgetful and quiet man he is becoming is utterly heartbreaking. He is still with us, but he’s not the man he was and I know there is worse to come. Alzheimers is absolutely like a living grief, losing small parts of a person very gradually.

To recognise the support that the Alzheimers society has been giving my family, I was thrilled to be offered a chance to run the Berlin marathon for them. Running a marathon for my dad who started me off on this journey seems so fitting. Who knows, this might even be my chance to finally match or beat his PB of 3:28.

Love you dad!

I am running each mile for...

Mile 1: Fred: Laura Penny's Grandad / Chris Usher's dad

Mile 2: Marie Francois: Aude Chaiban's mum

Mile 3: Günter: Viola Hay's dad

Mile 4: Bill: John Barrow's uncle

Mile 5: Tony: Carol Pelham Wilson's dad

Mile 6: Johanna: Regina Jaschke's mum

Mile 7: Sheila: Morag MacRae's "one of kind" gran

Mile 8: Anna: Gary Coull's "lovely wee" granny

Mile 9: Jim and Joycelyn: Andrea Watt's mum and dad

Mile 10: Angie: Dick Towler's wife / Claire Clarke's stepmum

Mile 11: Elspeth: Fiona Stuart's mum

Mile 12: Margaret: Laura Voor de Poorte's mum

Mile 13: Steve: Dick Towler's best friend

Mile 14: Allan: Steven Watters' dad

Mile 15: Betti: Tracey Innes' granny

Mile 16: Wynn: Naomi Milne's granny

Mile 17: Patricia: Peter Nicholson's mum

Mile 18: Margaret: Joyce Esson's mum

Mile 19: Neil: Elaine McKibben's dad

Mile 20: Ron: Annie Reid and Diane Robertson's dad

Mile 21: Luisa: Carol Pelham Wilson's mum

Mile 22: Samuel: Alisdair McKibben's grandad/ Byron McKibben's dad

Mile 23: Ian: Oonagh Grassie's dad / Duncan Grassie's grandad

Mile 24: Maggie: Donna Leslie's mother in law

Mile 25: Adacia: Sarah Nowakowski and Susan Holmes mum and my aunty

Mile 26: Terry: My dad

Plus 3 further miles for:

Margaret: Jenni' Coelho's mum

Carolyn: Lisa Bell's mum

Jim: Claire McPherson's dad