A 35-year-old from Cramond has completed an astonishing challenge of running 12 marathons in 12 months to mark the first anniversary of his mum's death - raising over £40k for the Marie Curie charity.
Alistair Thomson had never taken on the 26.2-mile course before last February, a month mum Sue's passing due to secondary metastatic breast cancer.
However, the 35-year-old was inspired to start pounding the pavement after reading that running would be a good way to clear his head amid the emotional turmoil of losing a parent.
READ MORE: Doting Edinburgh man's countless nights at Sick Kids as brother battled leukaemia
He initially set a target of raising the daily running cost for the charity's Edinburgh hospice, but shattered that total before crossing the finish line on his first race.
Alistair, a financial controller for Star Pubs & Bars, said: "I'm blown away and so humbled by people's generosity. I originally set myself the challenge of raising £8,129, which is a day's running cost for the Edinburgh hospice, but that was reached before I'd completed the first marathon.
"The donations continued to come in, and I was incredibly humbled by the support that people gave, which really helped me keep going both physically and mentally. I'm incredibly grateful for all of the support that I've received over the past 12 months.
The 35-year-old said: "I've cycled 100 miles several times without issue, so I knew that I just had to somehow transfer the cycling fitness into marathon running. Knowing I had over 26 miles to run each month – on top of the training - was hard going, so I'm looking forward to putting my feet up for a little bit. Although I have a three-year-old, so I'm not sure how easy that will be!
"My mum was one of the most supportive people in my life, encouraging me in all of my plans and goals. Crossing the finishing line was emotional as it was a year to the day that she died, but I know that she was rooting for me on every step of every run."
Alistair has raised over £25,000 for the end-of-life charity with the Pears Foundation, a charity that assists fundraisers, match funding over £16,000 has helped to bring the total amount to £41,000.
The money will go to the Marie Curie charity after Alistair's mum was admitted to the Marie Curie Hospice in Edinburgh, where she received end of life care for a few weeks.
He said: "Mum moved into the hospice at the beginning of January 2021, where she was looked after by the incredible team and also where we were able to visit her. As well as visits from me, my wife and my dad, it also meant she got to see her grandson, Hamish, running around in the snowy hospice garden, which brought a warming smile to her face.
Sign up for Edinburgh Live newsletters for more headlines straight to your inbox
"The compassion, sympathy and understanding that the staff showed both her and us throughout was phenomenal, and we are so grateful that she was able to live out her last few days in relative comfort while being afforded the dignity and support that she deserved.
"Words will never express our sadness, but we have found some solace that she was surrounded by her family and being cared for by such a dedicated team."
The Cramond man completed his 12th marathon, crossing the finishing line at Edinburgh's Marie Curie Hospice. Jim Stewart, Community Fundraiser at Marie Curie, welcomed Alistair as he crossed the finishing line.
He said: "We're so proud of Alistair. What he has put his body through and mind through the last 12 months has been extremely challenging. But it's through selfless fundraisers like him, and his supporters, for raising such an incredible sum of money, which enables us to continue being there and providing care and support to terminally ill people and their families across Scotland.
"And thanks to the Pears Foundation match funding over £16,000, this will pay for two days of care at the hospice."
