The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
70-year-old Longforgan runner raises £5k for charity.
Woman raises more than £5k with half marathon
A 70-year-old cancer survivor has raised more than £5,000 for charity by running a half marathon.
Kirsty Pilcher from Longforgan completed the 13.1-mile run on a route near her home in a time of two hours and 38 minutes.
She was due to run the Edinburgh half marathon last month but this was postponed amid the current pandemic.
Despite the cancellation, Kirsty decided to still go ahead with her fundraiser. She said: “This is the furthest I have ever run.
“I was all geared up to do the actual race so I just decided to get on with it. I couldn’t admit defeat.
“I mapped out a circular route in the area that wouldn’t take me too far from home and I finished it in two hours and 38 minutes, so I’m quite pleased with that.”
She added: “Edinburgh was to be my first ever half marathon and I still intend to run it. Hopefully it will still go ahead.
“I run early every morning so I always keep myself fit and stick to running the local area of Longforgan.
“Quite a few people have been giving me a wave and encouraging when I’m out and about. It’s really lovely.”
It has been 30 years since Kirsty survived breast cancer, having been diagnosed soon before her 40th birthday. The mother-of-four says she felt like “a bit of a guinea pig” when receiving her treatment.
She said: “I really was young at the time. I think I was a bit of a guinea pig back then. I had my reconstruction and my mastectomy at the same time – I don’t think that was common.
“I attended Ninewells Hospital in Dundee and they were really fantastic at looking after me. I like to think it helped with research.”
But three decades and eight grandchildren later, Kirsty now feels she can celebrate her survival.
She said: “I feel like after 30 years I can celebrate surviving now.
“You never want to jinx anything but this feels like the right time.
“I’m not sure I thought I’d be celebrating running a half marathon at 70 but I’d recommend to anyone to get out and run.”
Donations to Kirsty’s fundraiser can be made on her JustGiving page.