A MOFFAT mum is looking forward to finishing what she started this weekend at the London marathon.
Elaine Kennedy-Walton, 44 is in the final stretch of training before running her eighth marathon on Sunday.
The mum-of-three has had a complicated relationship with the London race in the past, as she told the Moffat News: “London was the first marathon that I ran back in 2016 but I didn’t finish the first time because I had quite a severe calf tear and didn’t have any option but to stop because I was hobbling even when I was walking, so that was not good.
“I’ve put in for the ballot every year since but haven’t been successful until I got a charity place running for VICTA,Visually Impaired Children Teenagers and Adults, and I had done the necessary fundraising but that run was cancelled because of covid so I had to do it virtually instead.
“I then had problems with my other calf and again ran the race virtually. Then my place got transferred over in 2022 and I actually came down with covid after the race, I’d done all of tests and taken precautions but tested postive after coming back up the road.
“I have done other marathons, this will actually be my eighth, so I can do it, but for some reason it never really comes together for London.”
Now with days to go until the 2023 event, Elaine is feeling fit and will be running in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support and hoping she’ll complete the journey she started in 2016.
She added: “I decided to go back and fundraise for Macmillan to finish off what I started all those years ago when I didn’t finish. Both my husband and my uncle have ran for them as well. It’s really good team of people that fundraise for Macmillan locally, they work so tirelessly throughout the year and all the money is kept locally as well.
“I am a wee bit nervous and excited for the race but my husband has been incredibly supportive, he’s a runner as well so he understands what it’s like to go out and do the training. He and my three kids are coming down, training for a marathon is a bit of a family affair so it’s nice that they’re getting to come down and have some fun too.
“London is so special because it’s on the TV so there’s definitely something special about it. The streets are lined with people shouting your name, the spectators really make it.
“London feels very different when you’re down there during marathon time, the locals really get behind everyone because they’re just as excited as the runners are.”
To donate to Elaine’s fundraiser for Macmillan Cancer Support visit: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/elaine-kennedy-walton.
