A Perthshire man has helped raise over £2000 for a vital cause in dedication to a late family member who was diagnosed with a terminal brain tumour just weeks after his wedding.
Ian Wotherspoon (35) and two of his cousins completed the half marathon at The Great Scottish Run in Glasgow on October 2 in aid of The Brain Tumour Charity.
Older brother to St Johnstone midfielder David Wotherspoon, Ian hopes his efforts can keep the memory of Kinross-based Michael Forbes alive, who was diagnosed with a stage four “inoperable” tumour just over a month after getting married to the love of his life, Alana from Kinross, in October 2019.
Michael was just 37 years old when he sadly died in July 2021, leaving being his beloved wife and two young girls.
His loss drove Ian, Darren Wallace and Lewis McGourty, Alana’s brother, to raise funds in dedication to him.
Ian, from Bridge of Earn, said: “We are a close family and we decided to do something in his memory.
“He was a really nice guy and Alana met him when she was in Aberdeen and then they moved down the road to be closer to her family.
“They built a life around here and they had their two girls.
“It was such a sudden thing when he was diagnosed and there was nothing they could do about it.
“It was a shock.”
Ian beat his target time to complete the 13.1 mile route with seconds to spare and was chuffed with the trio’s fundraising total.
He said: “It was a great day for it. The target was to do it in under two hours and I was under it by half a minute.
“We are delighted with the total [£2288] raised.”
It is the second event Ian, Darren and Lewis have completed to raise money for the charity as they all ran 100 miles over February last year, raising £5130.
Ian said: “We set out this year and thought everyone was so generous the last time [February 2021] and that was a great motivator.
“Covid was kicking about then so everyone was at home in February so getting out every day was good but quite tough on your legs.
“The initial target this time around was £500 and we thought if we could get near £1000 that would be great and it just kept going and going.
“Lewis’ work did a funding match and put in another £500 the other day and that took us over the £2000 mark.
“So we are absolutely delighted with that.”
And Ian doesn’t think the dream team is finished just yet.
“It could be an annual thing or we could do something different,” he added.
“I have got my eye on, at some point, doing a marathon. I am not sure when, I have not discussed it with the guys.
“But we will all definitely do something next year and something annually to keep his memory going and raising money for a good cause.”
The Brain Tumour Charity is a UK charity dedicated to funding research, raising awareness of brain tumours, reducing diagnosis times and providing support and information for people with brain tumours, their families and friends.
To donate to the charity head to www.justgiving.com/fundraising/ian-darren-lewis
