The Great Glen Ultramarathon is one of the longer running events in the UK.  It starts at 1am on Saturday 6th July in Fort William and goes the length of the Great Glen and Loch Ness all the way to Inverness.  A full 70 miles through some of Scotland's most scenic countryside. 

I've done multiple marathons and ultra-marathons with the longest being 55 miles.  I'm not fast and it isn't a pretty sight (me in running gear).  However, this is pushing both my physical and mental capabilities as I'm estimating approximately 18 hours to finish this event.

Why am i doing this?  I had always intended to do this event but upon hearing of a relative's recent loss at 38 weeks of their daughter I was hit with such sorrow for them.   Having two children myself, I can't imagine the pain and grief that couples experiencing a neonatal death must have to deal with.  It fills me with such sadness.

Mairi and Neil have given me permission to say that this run is in memory of Isla.

I'm also an embryologist in an IVF lab for the last 20 years.  I have helped hundreds of couples to have babies and others to realise it just wasn't going to happen.  We also see some couples who have experienced a neo-natal loss and yet somehow, they gather the strength to go through the process and for many achieve a successful outcome.

Even a little raised doing this will help with research to better understand and hopefully reduce the incidence of such loss.

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