Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Daily Record
Daily Record
National
Jonathan Geddes

Hundreds of Lanarkshire runners help raise funds for mental health charity in memory of tragic doctor

Hundreds of runners from Lanarkshire and beyond took to the streets last weekend in memory of a much loved local doctor.

The Newton Road Runners organised a 10k in the Cambuslang area to help remember Dr Cat Gaskell, who passed away last year.

On an emotional day, with Cat's parents and sister in attendance, a total of £1400 was raised for the Penumbra mental health charity thanks to over 300 runners competing in both an adult and junior race.

President of the road runners, Joanne Thorburn, said the day had been a great, if raw, way to remember Cat.

She told Lanarkshire Live : "It went amazingly well. There was a wee late rush in the days before the 10K which meant we ended with 300 runners in the senior's, which was our capacity.

"It was a brilliant day and it was still very emotional. Last year when we had the run for Cat it was smaller and more intimate, but this year it felt more overwhelming because of the amount of people there.

Catriona Gaskell passed away last year (Daily Record)

"I spoke to her mum, dad and sister just before I did the tribute to Cat prior to the race and I just about managed to keep it all together.

"Someone told me there wasn't a dry eye in the crowd at that point, and what we discovered was that a lot of ex colleagues and friends of hers had signed up to take part, and we were all humbled to get that support."

Following the two runs, a raffle was held at the Newton Arms pub to raise further funds for Penumbra, and Joanne says she hopes supporting such a worthy cause can help others struggling with their mental health.

She added: "All of our coaches have attended a mental health course and if any good can come from something tragic like this, it's that more people can get trained up and understand mental health.

Runners gather at the finish line (RGR)

"The volunteers and the marshals on the day were so supportive and there was such a feeling of everyone coming together to help. The Newton Arms were brilliant too, helping with food at the raffle."

Support for the day was provided by Just Mortgages, Taylor Wimpey, Energie Fitness and Miller Homes, who entered a team of runners on the day.

Richard Carr took first place in the senior male category with a time of 35.10, while Lesley Blackwood won the female category in 37.57. Both are members of Cambuslang Harriers.

The winners of the 3K juniors were Olly Thorburn (12.07) and Hannah Lynch (14.10).

Joanne added that the club had received positive feedback since the event, including from Cat's family.

She said: "Cat's dad thanked us for organising it, and I know it was emotional. I hope that they saw how much their daughter was loved."

Don't miss the latest headlines from around Lanarkshire. Sign up to our newsletters here.

And did yo u know Lanarkshire Live is on Facebook? Head over to our page to give us a like and share.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.