Melksham man’s marathon Loch Ness challenge for charity

Story posted on March 2, 2023

A LOCAL man will be running the Loch Ness Marathon in October, to raise money for the Motor Neurone Disease Association, following the death of his brother-in-law to the disease. 

Jason Reeves, who will be taking on the challenging marathon in the Scottish Highlands, said, “I was curious to see if I could manage this type of event at age 60; I ran marathons 30 years ago.

“We lost my brother-in-law, Paul, to Motor Neurone Disease (MND) during the Covid-19 lockdown, so that is the charity I’m running the marathon for. Paul was our family version of Stephen Hawking. Very fit, very intelligent, and had everything to live for. His biggest concern with MND was losing the ability to speak. It was a mixed blessing that early complications took him away too soon.

“Even with the condition, he had been accepted for trials of new treatments. I’m sure he would have been a massive boost to treatment research.

“I’m hoping to raise awareness, as well as some funds, so that in a small way, Paul will still be helping with the latest research. I have set up a fundraising page, which will also follow my training.”

To help with training, Jason is taking part in other running events such as the Bowerhill Bomber 10k, held last month.

He said, “I made quite a comeback with this run – this is only my second event and I came sixth overall! Unlike most marathons, the Loch Ness event is very undulating, so I’m incorporating cross country events and hill climbing into my training.”

Jason aims to raise £1,000 for the Motor Neurone Disease Association. To follow Jason’s training for the Loch Ness Marathon and to donate to the Motor Neurone Disease Association visit, https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/jason-reeves60

Pictured: Reeves at the Bowerhill Bomber 10k run