A Buckie marathon man who suffered the heartache of losing his newborn grandson is running to keep his memory alive.
Phill Thompson, 73, is tackling marathons in the name of his grandson Harris who passed away seven days after his birth in 2016.
Along with the help of Harris’s parents Rhiannon and Kev McDonald, Harris’s Heroes was formed.
This began with family members wearing t-shirts with a picture of Harris to events.
Though, later, it expanded to become an opportunity for bereaved parents to add baby names to Phill’s marathon vest.
That way, during marathons, Phill could ‘run each mile with one of the babies’ and keep their memory.
The first time this happened was the London Marathon in 2023, with Phill raising money for Aberdeen Sands.
Now, Phill is preparing to take on the Moray Marathon next month for Moray Sands.
Harris was born on November 1, 2016 to his parents Rhiannon and Kev McDonald in Aberdeen.
“He had some severe complications, he had leukemia, hydrops and Down’s Syndrome, so sadly he only survived for seven days,” Phill said.
“I saw Harris three or four times and everyone was just amazed that, despite being born with all these problems, he fought so hard.
“He was improving but it was just too much for him in the end.”
Harris’s Heroes idea formed and t-shirts created
It was Harris’s mum Rhiannon who came up with the idea of Harris’s Heroes.
They created shirts which had a picture of Harris and the words “don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened” on the back.
A year after Harris passed away, his family took part in the Aberdeen Half Marathon and wore the shirts for Harris’s Heroes.
Phill added: “Close to Harris’s birthday last year in 2024, we ran as a family again with the Harris’s Heroes t-shirts.”
However, it was in 2023 when Phill decided to introduce Harris’s Heroes to his marathon vests.
Phill runs London Marathon with Harris and other babies taken too soon
“I had an entry for the London marathon in 2023 so I wanted to do it in Harris’s memory and raise a bit of money for Sands,” he explained.
“So I spoke with Rhiannon about how we would do it, and that’s when we developed the idea of getting names of babies who were taken too soon and my grandchildren to run with me by putting their names on my back.
“When I did the London Marathon with the names, I had them on my back but also wrote them on paper so I knew which baby I was running with each mile.”
‘It felt like we were all holding hands across the finish line’
Phill described the “emotional” moment towards the end of the London Marathon.
“It really did feel like I was going from one baby to another accompanying me,” he said.
“I do envisage everyone joining in for the last bit.
“Those last 300 yards or so, it’s like having all those children with me finishing the marathon together.
“Marathons are hard work and you get tired. But Harris and the other babies keep me going when the times are tough.”
Now, Phill is preparing to take on the Moray Marathon in April.
He will be raising for Moray Sands, and has already received various requests for names on his vest.
Phill said: “Another slightly odd thing I do, because of the Down’s Syndrome connection, I wear odd socks when running.
“So whenever I put the socks on, it reminds me I’m going out on an adventure with Harris.”
Phill raising money for Sands while keeping memory of babies alive
Sands was founded in 1978 by a small group of bereaved parents devastated by the death of their babies, and by the lack of acknowledgement of the significance of their loss.
Since then, Sands has played a key role in raising public awareness of baby death across the UK and has supported thousands of parents whose babies have died.
You can donate to Phill’s fundraiser for Sands and Harris’s Heroes here.
Conversation