Edinburgh man teams up with Iain Rankin to complete a series of virtual marathons to raise money for The Brain Tumour Charity

An Edinburgh man has ambitious plans to complete a series of virtual runs and marathons this year to raise money for The Brain Tumour Charity.

Simon Williams with Ian Rankin having just completed the Meadows virtual 10k.

Simon Williams 61, is raising money for The Brain Tumour Charity after losing a close friend to brain cancer last year.

He has another two friends currently living with the relentless disease and wants to do everything he can to support the research into fighting it.

On Sunday, March, 21, Mr Williams completed the virtual Meadows 10km with his old friend, beloved Scots writer, Ian Rankin.

He has big plans for the next few months to continue raising money for the charity which is so close to his heart.

Mr Williams said: “I’m going to virtually run in the Alloa Half-Marathon and the Edinburgh Half-Marathon, and if lockdown restrictions allow I’ll be travelling north to do the Loch Ness Marathon.

"This is even more of an if, but if the restrictions have eased enough i’m also planning on going to Spain to do the Seville Marathon.”

Mr Williams works in education within the NHS and has been running for the best part of the last decade, he said that every year he tries to do something to raise some money for charity.

The Brain Tumour Charity that he is fundraising for this year is the “largest dedicated funder of research into brain tumours globally”.

They are dedicated to finding new treatments and offering support to those impacted by brain tumours, people such as Mr Williams’ friends.

While his fundraisers usually take the form of sponsored runs, Mr Williams said that with coronavirus restrictions, the most difficult part of going such long distances now is trying to stay motivated.

It was with this in mind that he was prompted to tackle the virtual Meadows 10km with his friend, Mr Rankin.

Mr Williams said: “The atmosphere is really the thing that’s missing because you know crowds of people really motivate you.

"I’m a slow runner, and i’m never going to be fast, but it’s more the getting there that’s important.

"Having the people there cheering you on makes all the difference.”

If you would like to support Mr Williams you can donate to his Just Giving page here.

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