SRUC Barony sings the praises of their very own marathon man Iain Whitty after he successfully completed the Northumberland Coastal Marathon on 28 February, taking his long distance running total ever closer to 500 miles.
Receptionist Iain is regularly seen running in the campus grounds, and has now run 473 miles for charity in the last 16 years. He has completed six London marathons, three Edinburgh marathons, three Glasgow Half Marathons, one Glasgow full Marathon, the Great North Run, the Devil ‘O’ The Highlands (43 mile run; Tyndrum to Fort William) and the Highland Fling (53 mile run; Milngavie to Tyndrum).
This latest challenge took Iain through some of the most dramatic coastal scenery in the UK, past conservation sites, through rivers, and along wide sandy beaches as he ran from Alnwick Castle to Bamburgh Castle. He battled strong winds and rain, yet still made a time of 5.5 hours.
Talking about his running Iain said:
“I started running years ago to help me give up smoking, and completed my first event, a 10k, in 1998. I feel fortunate to have good health and a great family and work life; and the support from my colleagues here is fantastic.
“I really enjoy running but it’s the funds I am raising which keep me going during the tough moments of my marathons and long-distance events.
“I am delighted to have raised £1200 so far, from the coastal marathon. Since visiting the Centre for the Rehabilitation of the Paralysed (CRP), in Bangladesh in 2004 I have enjoyed fundraising for the Valerie Taylor Trust (VTT) and really support the incredible work there. My parents are friends of Valerie Taylor – they worked together with Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) in the early 70s.”
SRUC BARONY’S MARATHON MAN TO RUN 500 CHARITY MILES
