Mum’s marathon effort for charity

Mar 5 2010 Perthshire Advertiser Friday

Kim Dakers with sponsor Kevin Bruce of Economy Tyres

A 37-YEAR-OLD mum who only started running to keep fit three years ago is going the distance at the London Marathon.

North Muirton’s Kim Dakers, a PRI radiographic assistant, is juggling her full-time job, family commitments and an increasingly punishing training schedule in the lead up to next month’s 26.2-mile endurance event.

Previously used to “just the odd three to six-mile run, nothing too strenuous”, it’s just as well she is, as she puts it, “quite a determined person when I put my mind to it”.

“I’m not built like a runner but running is something that I decided to do and it’s an activity you can fit around anything really, just as long as you’ve got a decent pair of trainers,” said the hospital worker.

“For a runner, the ultimate goal has to be completing a marathon and there’s none more prestigious than the London Marathon.”

The catalyst for her challenge, however, started in June 2008, when her mother Morag Barron, then 55, suffered an aneurysm that led to a cerebral abscess, surgery and eight-month hospitalisation.

After a spell in a brain injuries rehabilitation unit Mrs Barron has been back home for 12 months, but her mobility problems, epilepsy, speech and language difficulties have proved challenging for Kim’s husband Graham and the extended family.

“It’s still very difficult to cope with, we’re all just muddling through to be perfectly honest,” said Mrs Dakers.

She said that late last year she decided to help raise awareness about the plight of her mum and others like her by running the marathon for Headway, a charity that supports people affected by brain injury.

“I love my mum and admire her courage and determination, which I hope will inspire me with my training and stamina on the big day,” she said.

“At the moment I’m running four or five times a week, building up to longer runs and aiming to get up to 20 miles on week 14, just before the marathon.”

On the sponsorship front, with the help of friends and family, she has already raised close to £2000, exceeding the minimum amount by £500, but hopes to do even better.

Cheering her on in London will be husband Stuart and their daughter, Beth (6), who is keen to follow in mum’s footsteps.

“Beth wants to race with me and has just bought her own running shoes but I think we’ll start her off with a shorter run.”

l Potential sponsors can visit www.justgiving.com/kim-dakers.