Run of support for Neil’s amazing effort
A Thornhill police officer has raised over £10,000 after successfully running 2323miles in a year to raise funds for a cancer charity in memory of his lifelong friend who died last year.
Constable Neil MacLaren completed the leg-breaking challenge of running 10k every single day for a full year - on March 31.
Neil has been tackling the marathon effort since April last year and plans to keep it going until he officially retires later this month.
He clocked up the distance – more than 3,740km – to raise money for the Beatson Cancer Charity in memory of his lifelong friend Steven Black who passed away in February last year.
Neil reached 365 consecutive 10k runs on Saturday, April 10.
He initially set out to raise £1000 for the charity. At the time of print, he had raked in £10,175.
On Saturday, April 10, day 375 of the challenge, he was joined by friends from the village, as well as Steven’s family, for a socially-distanced group run to celebrate the completion of the effort.
Neil was motivated to raise the funds after Steven passed away last year at the age of just 54 after being diagnosed with the extremely rare duodenal cancer – a cancer of the small intestine.
Steven, a dairy farmer also from Thornhill, had been on the holiday of a lifetime with his wife Pam – a cruise of South America – to celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary. Whilst on the trip he lost his appetite and his symptoms worsened from there.
Upon returning he sought medical help and was eventually diagnosed with an aggressive form of the cancer on January 3, 2020. He passed away just a month later.
He is survived by Pam and children Claire (27), Gregor (24) and Emily (18).
Neil and Steven knew each other all their lives, having both attended Thornhill Primary together and remaining friends up until Steven’s untimely death.
A serving police officer for
YEAR-LONG CHALLENGE RAISES £10K
Pamela Black, Elizabeth Stewart, Charlie MacLaren, Christina MacLaren, Claire MacLaren and Beatson community fundraising manager Maisie McCormick 25 years, Neil had previously decided that he was going to try and run 10k per day for a year – 2268 miles in total.
When he heard of the news of Steven’s diagnosis and passing, he decided to take on the effort in his memory.
Not content with his year-long effort, Neil is now planning one final lung-bursting run to cap off the fundraiser. On May 15 he will be running from Fort William to Milngavie along the West Highland Way – a total of 96 miles – in under 24 hours.
Speaking to the Observer in
February this year, Neil said: “Steven and I went to school together, he was a year older than me, but it was a small school and everyone knew each other. We were both Thornhill born and raised.
“I’m due to retire at the end of April and from April 1 last year I’ve been running 10k each day. But I then decided that I wanted to do it in Steven’s memory, so I spoke to Pam to make sure that she was happy for me to do, which she was.
“I wanted to support Duodenal Cancer Research as
Steven was my friend and I’d like to raise funds to help support and prevent other families suffering from this terrible disease.
“Duodenal cancer is very rare and difficult to detect until it is too late therefore, greater research is required into screening and treatment for this aggressive cancer.”
At that time, Pam also said: “We had been on holiday towards the end of the year (2019).
“We went on a cruise of South America and one night Steven said that he had lost his appetite.
“When we got home, he went to the doctor and was sent for tests. He was diagnosed in January and died in February – it all happened so quick.”
“We’re so grateful to Neil for doing this. We’re blown away, we can’t thank him enough for thinking about Steven.” To make a donation, go to https://bit. ly/32kwwTX