A MELKSHAM man took on the Loch Ness Marathon earlier this month and raised around £1,676 for the Motor Neurone Disease Association.
Jason Reeves ran the 26-mile marathon in the Scottish Highlands on Sunday 1st October raising money for the association following the death of his brother-in-law two years ago, who had motor neurone disease (MND).
“It has been a very humbling experience. I aimed to finish the marathon in around four hours but I finished in 3:29.40; many a club runner half my age would be happy with that,” says Jason, “A ten-minute faster time would have seen me on the podium for a V60 prize but my target time was exceeded and, of course, the aim of the day was just to make it to the finish line for MND Association.”
Jason, who is in his 60s, says he used to run marathons in his 30s and was curious to see if could still manage this type of his event.
“I am pleased that my previous injuries didn’t come back to haunt me,” he said. “5,100 runners were at the start line, the second highest ever total. Approximately 1,500 didn’t finish and at 18 miles, an uphill of two miles, aptly named The Monster, brought many to a halt.
“Halfway up The Monster I passed a guy who was on his 10th marathon in a row, all finished inside four hours.
“At 22 miles I passed a guy who had been juggling all the way round and looked like he would still be finished inside or close to the four-hour time.”
To help Jason continue to raise funds for MND, visit his Just Giving page: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/jason-reeves60
