365 Days of Courage for Kathy By Matt Huntington

While many people were increasing their daily steps during lockdown, JogScotland Westhill Jog Leader Matt Huntington set himself the challenge to run every day in 2021, in memory of his sister Kathy. He tells us his story...

I’ve been a leisure runner for several years, and about two and a half years ago joined JogScotland Westhill to help get myself motivated to run regularly, and to get back in shape after a lazy few years. A year later I became a jog leader, and it’s become a big part of my life - my wife Emma and I run with the group twice a week and we’ve made a lot of new friends there. I also run and lead with Aberdeen Endurance Joggers at the weekends.

But this year, I decided to turn up the heat in an effort to raise money for Northeast cancer charity Friends of ANCHOR, having seen first-hand how the charity supported my sister during her treatment for breast cancer. Kathy passed away in April 2018, just weeks before she was due to take part in the charity’s Courage on the Catwalk event.

Kathy loved running

She’d been a runner herself – she ran 45 parkruns before she passed away. So I’ve pledged to run a minimum of 10K every calendar day this year, in her memory. I’ve also committed to run a half marathon at least once a month, and will run the Loch Ness Marathon with my daughter Amy on 3 October – before lacing up my running shoes again for my usual 10K the following day. So far I’m averaging 12.5km per day and am on track to run 4,500km by the end of the year - the equivalent of walking from Land’s End to John O’ Groats, three times. I’ve encountered snow, hail and icy conditions – and all the challenges of Covid restrictions.

Earlier in the year, I made a trip to London to work as a technical official for the Olympic swimming selection trials. Covid restrictions meant I wasn’t able to get out and about in my free time, so I completed the daily distance by running loops of my 8-metre-long hotel room! I use Strava to monitor my runs so all those loops were tracked on the app, just the same as a ‘normal’ outdoor run. There’s an old joke in the running community that says if a run’s not on Strava, it didn’t happen, so I can definitely prove that I didn’t let lockdown get in the way of achieving my goal! Many of my runs have been close to home, but the challenge has also taken me to scenic spots including the Lake District and Cairngorm National Park. I also had the opportunity to run with the legendary ultrarunner Nick Butter as he was passing through Aberdeen in June on his epic 5,240 mile long #RunBritain challenge to raise awareness for the 196 Foundation, which was great.

I was really delighted that, as well as my own running, JogScotland Westhill organised a 5K Fun Run in August to boost the fundraising. It was a great opportunity to invite 200 runners from other local jogscotland groups in the area to enjoy a scenic route through the beautiful Dunecht Estate. The Fun Run (pictured below) was a huge success and raised over £3,600.

I originally aimed to raise £3,650 but with several months to go, I’ve already raised over £11,500 thanks to generous supporters on my fundraising page. All of Kathy’s family and friends miss her dearly and we remember our times together with fondness. I decided to raise money for Friends of ANCHOR to say thank you for the support they provided to Kathy and her family. She would be so proud, grateful and have a huge smile on her face for everyone’s incredible generosity in her memory.

I am particularly grateful for all the support from my friends at JogScotland Westhill who have run with me throughout the year and helped me to organise the 5K Fun Run. Because I’m running in Kathy’s honour, some days have been quite emotional, especially on memorable days of the year. I know that running in the days after the marathon later this year will be tough, but every day means every day, no excuses, and no days off. Some days have been hard going, whether that’s due to fatigue, muscle niggles or bad weather, but a little bit of pain on a run pales into insignificance by comparison with the battle Kathy fought. My memories of her spur me on each and every time I go out for a run.

Erica Banks, Communications Lead for Friends of ANCHOR, says Matt’s challenge had inspired everyone at the charity:

“Matt’s dedication to date has been nothing short of amazing, and we’re very grateful for the heartfelt commitment he has made to keep going right through to December 31. “Day in, day out, he gets the miles in, wearing his red T-shirt every step of the way. His efforts have paid off with an incredible number of generous donations, and every penny of every pound he raises will be directly invested to support patients.”