Heartwarming moment Scot completes 'wheelchair marathon' pushing mum with Alzheimer's

Scott Martin ran and walked a total of 26.2 miles around his Ayrshire estate while pushing friends and his mum in a wheelchair, to raise funds for Alzheimer Scotland.

A Scots man has run a marathon with a twist in his latest effort to raise money for a charity close to his heart.

Scott Martin, 57, has been supporting Alzheimer Scotland since his mum Anne, 81, was diagnosed with the condition in 2014.

After taking on three previous extreme fundraisers, and writing his own book, the warehouse manager was looking for a new challenge.

On July 19, he spent over six hours running and walking the 26.2 mile marathon distance by doing laps of his housing estate in Newmilns, East Ayrshire - while pushing a wheelchair.

His friends took turns sitting in the chair for each mile, before his mum - who uses a wheelchair - sat for the final mile as a lap of honour.

Scott told the Record: "I lost my dad when I was young, and my mum pretty much raised me on her own. She's my world.

"She started losing her memory in 2010, and was officially diagnosed with Alzheimer's in 2014. At the time, she started going to dementia groups in the area and the work they did was fantastic, so I decided to raise some money for them.

"What I'm doing is never going to cure Alzheimer's in a million years, but if it can help some older people get a wee day out, a chat with people or some happiness, I'll keep doing it."

Scott's challenge started at 7am, getting friends from his running club to sit in the chair for each mile holding a tub for donations, which raised nearly £500.

Despite the rain almost getting in the way, he pushed through for six hours with locals cheering him on.

The support intensified after his mum appeared for the final mile to make up the "magical marathon distance", and took her seat while wrapped in a blanket and hat.

Keen runner Scott had completed six previous marathons, and decided to combine his love for running with his fundraising, inspired by his desire to get his mum out as much as possible.

He said: "I had abseiled off the Forth Rail Bridge, done a skydive in Fife and a zip line over the River Clyde, all with a fear of heights, but I wanted to do something different this time.

"It was a tough challenge but it was great to have people come out to cheer us on.

"I’d hoped to raise £1,000 but we’re now sitting at just over £3,000. We’re so grateful to everyone in the local community and beyond for their support in helping us fundraise for such an amazing cause."

Scott's fundraising efforts for Alzheimer Scotland in the last 11 years have reached over £10,000 in total. While he is thankful for everything the charity does, he knows first-hand the challenges faced by people who have a loved one living with the condition.

He added: "More and more people are being affected by Alzheimer's, as well as their families.

"It can be quite a tough shift, but I've never complained. My mum brought me up, and I've never wanted to put her in a home.

"We’ve always enjoyed taking trips together, but after her diagnosis I made even more of a point of taking her out and creating as many memories as possible while she was still well enough."

Scott's fundraising page can be found here.

Kirsty Stewart, Director of Fundraising and Operations at Alzheimer Scotland, said, “We are so inspired by Scott’s dedication and the love he shows for his mum, Anne.

“Running a marathon is an incredible achievement in itself but doing it whilst pushing a wheelchair makes this accomplishment even greater. Scott’s continued creativity, determination and generosity in raising vital funds is remarkable.

“We want to say a huge thank you to Scott, Anne, and everyone who supported his marathon journey – the funds raised will help us continue providing essential brain health and dementia support and services across Scotland.”