Holly Archibald, a 32-year-old trainee solicitor from Edinburgh, is running 2.6 miles every day for a month in memory of her uncle who died of Motor Neurone Disease (MND).
The 2.6 Challenge was launched on 26 April, the day the London Marathon was supposed to take place. The challenge called for people across the UK to pick their own ‘2.6 Challenge’ in support of a charity close to their heart.
While adjusting to her new normal in lockdown, Holly decided to take on the challenge by running at least 2.6 miles a day for 31 days, to raise funds for charity MND Scotland after losing her uncle to the disease in 2016.
MND is a rapidly progressing terminal illness, which can cause someone to lose the ability to walk, talk, eat, drink or breathe unaided. The average life expectancy from diagnosis is just 18 months.
Holly said, “We lost my uncle, Ian, three years ago to MND when he was 59. It was awful to see this disease ruin him, and our family. The disease truly frightens me, and I think the support and research MND Scotland provides is vital to fight it. Ian lives on in our memories but also within these challenges.
“I cycled from London to Paris in 2017 to raise funds for MND Scotland and I intend to keep doing what I can to support them. I was emailed about the challenge following the cancellation of the London Marathon (not that I was planning to do that!). I only really started running 5 weeks ago, when we went into lockdown, so I thought this would be sufficiently difficult to encourage people to sponsor me.
“I am very much trying to adapt to the new norm. I certainly have more time on my hands since lockdown, so I am running at least 2.6 (socially distanced) miles per day, from the 26th of April to the 26th of May. Or at least jog. Maybe, towards the end, walk! By the end I’ll have completed at least 80.6 miles. Uncle Ian lives on in our memories but also within these challenges.
“People often see fundraising as needing to run a marathon, do a skydive or something crazy but what this period of time has shown us is that actually you don’t have to do these big grand things. You can do something small like run or walk every day. As long as it challenges you personally. I think that’s one of the positive things coming from this.
“I’d encourage everyone to get involved and do something. Even if you only raise £30, that’s money that wouldn’t have been therefore, so just go for it! Any little really does help and raising awareness is just as important.
“I had a target of £260 given it’s the 2.6 Challenge and have already smashed it, raising £345 so far. This is great but more would be even better. I hope that the cash raised will help MND sufferers and family members, especially during this pandemic.”
Iain McWhirter, MND Scotland’s head of fundraising, said “With many events being cancelled and postponed this year, the 2.6 Challenge gives people something fun and positive to do at home, while raising money for many worthy causes.
“During this uncertain time, we are determined to make sure no one goes through MND alone while the country is on lockdown. That’s why we’ve launched a host of new services to help us stay connected to families affected by MND in Scotland, including video support groups, one-to-one phone calls and emergency grants for anyone who is struggling financially as a result of Covid-19.
“We’re very grateful to supporters like Holly, who are able to use this time at home to support MND Scotland.”
To support Holly’s miles for MND you can donate online at https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/my-2-6-challenge-eaf7ee74-490c-4570-9661-db9ab22d8fba or sign up to do your very own 2.6 Challenge for MND Scotland at www.mndscotland.org.uk/26-challenge.
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