The sister of Co Derry woman is set to honour her next month after she sadly lost her 'courageous' battle with cancer at the end of last year.
Michelle Lynch's little sister Claire McMullan tragically died last December from the disease, and said that her sister's death had 'changed her life forever'.
In her memory, Michelle and a group of women from Limavady will now attempt their first Half Marathon in Derry next month in honour of their friend and family member.
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The close-knit group decided training together to complete the Waterside Half Marathon would help honour her fighting spirit and raise funds for the Friends of the Cancer Centre at Belfast Hospital where she received treatment.
"She put up the biggest fight and I’ll be forever proud of her and the strength she had though-out her illness," Michelle said.
"Anyone who knows her knows what an amazing person she is. Losing Claire has changed my life forever. Training for this half marathon has helped me cope by setting myself a goal and making sure I achieve it."
Meanwhile, Claire's friend Sharon McCorin added: “We had talked for a while about doing an activity to allow us to focus on something, keep in touch as a group of friends and raise some money for the Cancer Centre in Belfast.
“Claire’s sister Michelle and I started doing some running in April and we eventually got a group of us out on a regular basis. Some of us had run some miles here and there but we are all novice runners and this will be our first major event.
“We’ve found the training very therapeutic and it’s a very healthy way for us to get out in the fresh air, improve our fitness and focus on a goal.”
The Waterside Half Marathon is returning to the parks, greenways and bridges of the Maiden City on Sunday, September 4 following a three-year Covid-enforced hiatus.
The race begins at the parade ground at Ebrington Square at 9.30am with over 2000 runners expected to take to the starting line.
It takes in both sides of the River Foyle, passing many of the city’s historic landmarks including its famous walls and the Guildhall before the chipped timed finish at the St Columb’s Park running track.
It attracts runners of every level and the Limavady girls’ main aim is to finish without the pressure of recording a fast time.
Sharon added: “We’re not pushing ourselves with every run, some nights we’re just putting one foot in front of the other and getting round, the main thing is that we are getting out four times a week to train and whatever time we record on the day will look after itself
“We’ve done some shorter events, we did the Foyle Hospice 5k in Derry and the Bob and Berts 10k Series in Portrush but this will be our first Half Marathon so it’s something we’re excited about
“We’ve all noticed that we feel good and are mich fitter, we even look forward to the longer runs now.”
If you would like to donate to the girls fundraising effort at Michelle’s Derry Half Marathon Fundraiser page on Just Giving, then you can do so HERE.
Registration for the Waterside Half Marathon is open until Sunday August 14 th HERE where race information and training schedules for the full race and relay option are also available.
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