A Dumbarton man is set to compete in the New York Marathon to raise money for Parkinson’s UK in memory of his late dad and uncle.
Kenny McLean, an insurance advisor for a global insurance broker, is participating in the marathon in memory of his supportive dad, Ken McLean, who passed away due to Parkinsons aged 78 and his uncle, Ian MacBride, who sadly died at age 71 also because of the illness.
The 49-year-old is set to run the New York Marathon on November 6 with a goal of raising £2,000 for Parkinson’s UK, having raised just over £1,100 so far, with his employer matching the donations Kenny’s colleagues make.
Having raised so much already, Kenny is hoping to do his father and uncle proud by completing the 26.2-mile race.
He said: “I have been running for 20 plus years and through talking to a lot of people they just kind of put the idea into my head.
“I signed up for the New York Marathon in November 2019, and of course, it was put on the backburner for a couple of years. I knew that the stage had to be big for me to do a really good fundraiser for Parkinsons alongside a big challenge.
“My dad was a great supporter of me when I started running when I was 25. He always came along to the races and encouraged me to stick to it.
“He always encouraged me to run, so I thought it was very fitting to raise funds for Parkinson’s UK given he suffered from it.
“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.
“You’re almost a prisoner inside your own body. It is a cruel illness.
“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.
“That’s another reason I have tried to look after myself as much as possible to do some good with it through fundraising.”
Kenny has taken part so far in three half-marathons, eight 10ks, one duathlon and three five-mile road races in preparation for arguably the most famous marathon in the world.
However, Kenny is not letting the pressure get in his way. He said: “A lot of friends have told me not to get too hung up on the gravitas of it being the New York Marathon and just to enjoy it, as much as I can anyway.
“I have certainly put the preparation in for it, especially since New York isn’t as flat as people sometimes think, but I am certainly looking forward to it.
“I was very close to both my dad and uncle. My poor dad got dragged along to many morning races. It’s for them.”
