An Edinburgh Hearts fan who lost his mum to cancer is dedicating his 51st half marathon to a young dad who sadly passed away this week.
Nikos Sfakianos, 43, fell in love with the Gorgie team over 20 years ago, when he lived in Stirling in 1998 while studying at the university there.
When he graduated, the Greek national moved back home but still followed the Jambos.
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Tragically his mum was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer in 2016 and to cope with the terrible news, the dad of two started running for charity.
Since then he has completed 50 half marathons, full marathons and 10ks in his late mothers memory.
The Hearts fan was devastated when he heard about Euan Smith, the 24-year-old dad of two who died this week and decided to dedicate his 51st race in Edinburgh to the fellow Jambo.
The avid runner always runs in Hearts gear and will wear a special hearts jersey for this race to and give it to Euan's family afterwords.
Niko will also be in Edinburgh for the half marathon. There is a fundraising page to raise money for children's cancer charities you can donate to here.
Speaking to Edinburgh Live he said: "I've been a Hearts fan since I studied ELT at Stirling uni back in 1998.
"In summer 2016 my mum was diagnosed with stage 4 glioblastoma and a few weeks later I decided to run the local half marathon to give her some strength or perhaps for psychological reasons.
"I bought a pair of Hearts shorts on eBay - I loved the team because of their fascinating World war 1 story and made it to the finish line.
"As expected my mother passed away in Dec 2017. Since then I've been running in her honour 10k races, half and full marathons plus trail races.
"Ever since I posted on a Hearts facebook group, things have massively changed.
"I've made dozens of friends and in 2019 a fan suggested my fundraising.
"In May 2019 I returned to Scotland for the Edinburgh half marathon, I fundraised for Macmillan Cancer and made it to the finish line.
"The day before the race ten fans had taken me to the Cup final, three of them had paid for the ticket and was given several presents.
"I stayed for a few days, visited the uni and travelled back to Greece.
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"In 2020 I fundraised for Children with Cancer UK as I'm doing this year. In general, I try to participate in as many races as possible though, my free time is limited as I teach in the private sector and am a father of 2 girls.
"As for Euan, I simply read about Him on a Hearts group and instinctively decided to run my 51st in His honour.
"I'm running my 50th tomorrow and the 51st on May 1st.
"I'll bring the jersey with me in Edinburgh on May 29th. I'll be running the half for Children with Cancer UK.
"I hope I'll find a way to give it to his family."
He touchingly added: "I don't feel I'm doing anything that special. I only want to keep my mum's memory alive and have motivation for running.
"Jambos are my "fuel" and feel extremely proud I've been accepted in this family."
Many have been touched by the selfless fan's spirit.
Reg & Barbara Young said: "Well done, Niko. You should feel proud of your hard work."
Peter Smith exclaimed: "Don’t know how you do it M8 Total Respect One Was enough for me."
While John Cramb added: "Keep up the great work! Good luck."
