A Dumbarton man has raised £2340 so far for Parkinson’s UK after completing the New York Marathon last week.
Kenny McLean, an insurance advisor for a global insurance broker, did the marathon in memory of his supportive dad, Ken McLean, who passed away due to Parkinson’s aged 78 and his uncle, Ian MacBride, who sadly died at age 71, also because of the illness.
Kenny’s original goal of £2000 has been smashed, with his employers, Willis Towers Watson, along with colleagues at the firm, also donating to the fundraising effort, with their contributions expected to add another £500.
In preparation for the 26-mile run across the Big Apple, Kenny completed 18 races this year, ranging from five-mile courses to half marathons, in locations across Scotland.
Kenny said: “I started to prepare in March and completed several road races, half-marathons, and 10ks, just to build up stamina. I worked up to running 20 miles, which went a long way towards preparing for the not-very-flat course over in New
York.
“Conditions were not what you would expect right now, pretty humid at 25 degrees, and not ideal for running. You would expect the temperature to be around 12 degrees at this time of year in New York.”
Prior to the race, Kenny commented on how seeing his once fit father suffering encouraged him to do the race for him.
He said: “Parkinson’s is a terrible disease, and it is one of the main reasons I considered doing the New York Marathon because it is physically challenging, and unfortunately Parkinson’s takes away your ability to be physical.
“It is not nice to see someone like my dad go from being someone who hillwalked and cycled to not being able to move at all.”
Kenny, who last ran a marathon 19 years ago, overcame the unfavourable conditions to complete the famous course in an impressive 4 hours 29 minutes.
He continued: “I decided to do something as big as the New York Marathon as my dad always used to tell me to keep my fitness going, as you never know what is around the corner. It rang true when he and my uncle were diagnosed with Parkinson’s, and both were quite affected physically. I am lucky to be in good shape physically, and so I decided to put that to good use.
“I am really grateful to everyone who has been supportive, in any way, in particular my friends, colleagues and my wife, who travelled to cheer me on in New York.”
You can still donate to Kenny’s fundraiser at: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/kenneth-McLean
