Chris runs 12 in 12 marathons to support dad Roy
CHRIS LAIDLAW, the son of Scotland and British & Irish Lions rugby legend Roy Laidlaw, is to run the first of 12 marathons in a 12 month period on January 1 to raise funds for charity.
On October 31 it was revealed that ex-scrum-half Roy, 67, a member of Scotland’s 1984 Grand Slam team and the 1983 Lions to New Zealand, is suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.
The Jedburgh man has been facing up to his new challenge – and now Chris is ready to take on a test of his own to show support for his father.
Chris, the cousin of former Scotland No.9 Greig Laidlaw, also lost his mother Joy – Roy’s wife – to cancer earlier in 2020 which, combined with the pandemic, has made it a tough time for the 30-year-old and his family.
“Losing mum hit us all very hard at the time and we are still trying to come to terms with it a number of months later,” said Chris, a
Scotland Club XV rugby cap.
“She was the one that kept us right and always brought a smile to our faces, so to process that she is not here has been tough. To have dad’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis on top of that made it doubly hard.
“I have never run a marathon before, but I won’t be playing rugby in 2021 so I thought that was something to aim towards and then I thought why not make it a real challenge and try and run 12 marathons in 12 months in mum’s memory.”
The three charities Chris is raising money for are Marie Curie, Alzheimer Scotland and the Murrayfield Injured Players’ Foundation.
Chris will embark on the first run from Boroughmuir’s Meggetland clubhouse in Edinburgh early on New Year’s Day.
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