A north-east teacher will dedicate every mile of an upcoming charity marathon run to a different friend or relative affected by cancer.
Caroline Brunton, who works at Insch School in Aberdeenshire, was struck by family tragedy twice in the space of a year when cancer claimed the lives of both her father and aunt.
Now, the 33-year-old is coming to the end of her training regime ahead of the Edinburgh Marathon later this month – the first 26-mile race Mrs Brunton will have run.
She said: “My auntie Alison was 49 when she developed cancer and she died within a few short months.
“That was in July 2014. It was a shame because she had had a stroke a few years before which left her disabled. She had just started getting her life back together when cancer struck. That was terrible.
“Then, six or seven months later, my dad Alex, 64, was diagnosed with cancer and died within seven weeks. It was an unlucky time.”
Mrs Brunton – who lives in Auchleven – has chosen to support the north-east cancer charity Friends of Anchor and has set herself a fundraising target of £1,000 ahead of the marathon on May 29.
She has already drummed up £500 of support and is training with Insch Trail Runners for her first official race.
She added: “I’m running for Friends of Anchor and I just want to dedicate a mile to friends and family who have asked me to run a mile for them or a loved one who has been affected by cancer.
“Everybody gets a coloured ribbon and I am going to attach them to my t-shirt so it’s a bit of a rainbow cape for when I am running.
“That is my vision at the moment, anyway.”
“I never ever thought I would sign up for a marathon because I really couldn’t run across the road,” “But I’ve found running helps me deal with it and feel like I’m doing something positive.
“Another of my friends was just diagnosed with cancer this week so I’m running for him as well.”
Mrs Brunton is now tapering down her training ahead of the 26-mile race through the capital later this month and is focused on raising as much money for charity as possible.
To make a donation and support Caroline, visit: www.justgiving.com/caroline-brunton2
The Aberdeen and North Centre for Haematology, Oncology and Ratiotherapy (ANCHOR) unit is an NHS department at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary.
The Friends of Anchor is a charity which supports the unit in treating patients with all forms of cancer, leukaemia and blood disorders from across the north-east.
