Losing mum was the spur to take on 1000km test
JONATHAN GEDDES
Pete Gilpin was only 13 years-old when he lost his mother Marjorie to breast cancer, aged just 40.
And when the Burnside man marked his own 40th birthday this year, there was only one thing on his mind – to pay tribute to the memory of his mum.
To do so, he set himself the challenge of running 1000km before the end of 2019.
Now, several months after setting his target, Pete is delighted to have raised thousands of pounds for a breast cancer charity through his efforts.
He told the Reformer: “I wanted to honour my mum’s memory and I thought the best way of doing that was by helping Breast Cancer Now.
“I do run quite a bit and thought something along those lines would be achievable. So I set myself the challenge of running 1000 kilometres during the year and encouraging people to donate.”
Just to make things a little harder, Pete, who works with the Prince’s Trust organisation, placed a few restrictions on himself, including that every run had to be outdoors.
That meant he clocked up the miles the hard way, through taking part in the Great Scotttish Run, the Great
Stirling Run, the Edinburgh half marathon and, lastly, the Royal Parks half marathon in London.
When he achieved his goal Pete’s thoughts immediately turned to his family.
“It was a pretty emotional day because my wife Tammy and the kids were all there”, he explained. “That was the toughest one because it had a lot on it and I knew I should reach my target that day.
“There were a few tears as I went over the finish line and I was thinking about my mum.
“I was too young to really understand at the time, but looking back on the support that she received from breast cancer charities and nurses made a big difference.”
Pete’s fundraising total currently tops £6000, and he is grateful for his wife Tammy’s help.
“She has been very supportive. We have a young family, so finding the time to run was challenging and Tammy had to pick up the slack when I was out pounding the pavement.
“I’m really grateful to her, and my family for their help.”
Breast Cancer Now supports research and services across the country.
Pete’s JustGiving page is still active for anyone who would like to donate.
To do so, visit www. justgiving.com/fundraising/ peter-gilpin