A MONKSPATH man is getting his running shoes on ready to take on the London Marathon in memory of his mum.
Alex Doffman will be lining up beside thousands of others on the starting line to complete the 26.2mile route around the capital on April 23 in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support.
The 32-year-old said he was inspired to run for Macmillan after seeing all the support his mum received after her diagnosis of breast cancer in July 2019.
During his mum’s diagnosis and treatment Alex, along with his family were supported by Macmillan.
He said the charity played a vital role in his mum’s end-of-life care and made a massive difference to her remaining time, and to his family’s lives as they struggled to come to terms with the prospect of not having their Mum with them.
Alex has already smashed his fundraising target and raised more than £2,800 thanks to the generosity of family, friends and well wishers.
He got engaged to his now wife, Shannon, during lockdown and the couple had book their dream wedding.
Alex said: “Once we had found out the diagnosis and how long they believed mum would have, we brought it forward to the end of September 2021 so Mum could be there with us.
“But her condition declined, and she sadly passed away at the start of September at the age of 56.
“This made the wedding weeks later much more emotional to say the least.”
Alex has already run five half marathons and after watching it last year, he decided to take the plunge and commit to it.
He said: “I have been humbled and blown away by the support I received.
“The toughest part though is training through the winter months in the freezing conditions.
“However, every time I questioned whether I really needed to be doing a run, I would think of all the people supporting me both at home and in the local community, and how proud Mum would be knowing that I was putting the effort in.
“Before I knew it, my trainers were on, and I was good to go.”
As well as running the marathon, Alex has held various fundraising events and is looking forward to supporting Macmillan further.
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