Edinburgh man set to run 12 marathons in 12 days for Marie Curie hospice

An Edinburgh man is running 12 marathons over 12 months to raise money for the Marie Curie hospice in Edinburgh that cared for his mother.
Sister in law Madeline, Alistair and his wife Nancy.Sister in law Madeline, Alistair and his wife Nancy.
Sister in law Madeline, Alistair and his wife Nancy.

Alistair Thomson, 35, wanted to honour his mother Sue, 64, who passed away on January 27 at the Marie Curie hospice after being diagnosed with secondary metastatic breast cancer.

As a result he decided that he would run 12 marathons in 12 months to try to raise £8,129 - the cost of running the Edinburgh hospice for one day.

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Alistair started his marathon mission on February 24 and hopes to complete the last marathon on January 27 2022 to mark the first anniversary of his mother's passing.

L-R: Gordon Thomson,  Nancy Thomson, Alistair Thomson and Sue Thomson.L-R: Gordon Thomson,  Nancy Thomson, Alistair Thomson and Sue Thomson.
L-R: Gordon Thomson, Nancy Thomson, Alistair Thomson and Sue Thomson.

Due to the current pandemic he is remaining flexible with regards to the marathons he plans on completing. His first will be a marathon from his home in Cramond to Leith whilst returning through loops on various cycle paths to complete the journey.

The accountant also hopes to complete the Stirling marathon later this year as well as one by their old family home in Broughty Ferry before aiming to complete the twelfth by running a route that will include the hospice and his parents' home in Bruntsfield.

He said: “The challenge that I have set myself is to attempt to run a marathon a month starting in February 2021 with the final one provisionally scheduled for 27 January 2022 to mark the first anniversary of my mum's death. I will be covering a total distance of 314 miles or 506 kilometres but these are just numbers to me at the moment because I've never actually run a single marathon, let alone 12.

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“I wanted to do my own bit to help cover some of the costs of the great work that they did for my mum and so many others that are in the same situation. It cost £8,129 to run the Edinburgh hospice for a day hence our initial target. But we have already surpassed that goal and are now aiming for £10,000.”

Nancy and Gordon Thomson on holidayNancy and Gordon Thomson on holiday
Nancy and Gordon Thomson on holiday

Sue moved into the Marie Curie hospice at the beginning of January after several rounds of chemotherapy were deemed to be doing more harm than good.

Her son says that Sue and the family received incredible compassion, sympathy and understanding from all of the staff at the hospice.

The family were thankful that they could visit her with husband Gordon, son Alistair, daughter in law Nancy and grandson Hamish all being by her side in her final weeks.

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Alistair added: “Words will never express our current sadness but we have found some solace that she was surrounded by her family and being cared for by such a dedicated team.

“My mum was one of the most supportive people in my life, from cheering my various feeble sporting attempts, helping me dye cheetah spots in my hair and generally encouraging me in all of my plans and goals. In short, she supported me no matter how daft the idea was and I therefore know that she will be rooting for me every step of every run.”

If anyone would like to support Alistair then please visit their Just Giving page for more information: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/alistairthomson12in12.

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