Finishing line is now in sight for Laidlaw

Scottish Rugby Academy coach Chris Laidlaw now has now completed ten of his ‘12 in 12’ marathons.

Laidlaw, the former Boroughmuir and Scotland Club International stand-off, has been running a marathon each month this year to raise funds for three charities which mean a lot to him – the Murrayfield Injured Players Foundation; Marie Curie; and Alzheimer’s Scotland.

His tenth marathon took place in and around Edinburgh, starting in Portobello.

“I was a little bit apprehensive going into this one”, said Chris.

“With the night’s drawing in plus juggling a busy work schedule and family life, I didn’t get much training in.

“And, having done as many marathons as I have, I know how long I’m going to be on my feet and the points at which they will start hurting, and that’s been mentally quite demanding.”

Whilst some of Chris’ previous marathons have been a solo effort, friends, family, and other supporters turned out at various stages to both keep Chris company and keep his spirits high.

“Chris Dewsnap, the Academy Manager for the Borders and East Lothian joined me for the first 10 kilometres, before my cousin joined with her friends.

“I was finally joined by a triathlete named Lesley. Her family has connections to my hometown rugby club, Jed-Forest, so she’d seen what I had been doing and got in touch to ask if she could join me for a half-marathon.”

“Having that support makes a massive difference, so I’m grateful to everyone who’s turned up.”
Chris Laidlaw

Chris and Ryan with their children after crossing their finish line on Sunday, 31 October.

Chris’ good friend Ryan Miller also took part in marathon ten and aims to join in with the remaining two.

The pair crossed the finish line of marathon ten in 4 hours 45 minutes.

Chris has now raised a staggering £18,500 for the three charities and is finalising plans for the last two marathons.

He said: “It’s quite a nice feeling knowing I’ve only got two to go because this has been a really long challenge. I’m going to go home to Jedburgh for the next one. There were so many people who turned out to support my last marathon at home, and I think there will be even more for this next one. I’m really looking forward to that one!

“And my final route I’ll look to complete around Meggetland and along the Union Canal on Hogmanay, so again hopefully some people might be keen to join in and run with me for a bit.”

You can offer Chris your support via his Just Giving page: https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/12in12in21