The widow of a much-loved Carnoustie man has run more than 2,000km in her husband’s honour.
Natalie Mackland successfully clocked up her target distance of 2021km in 2021 at the weekend – a run that would have taken her all the way to the south of France.
In the process, Natalie raised more than £3,000 for the British Heart Foundation.
Community stalwart
David Mackland died in hospital on October 14 last year aged 47, after suffering a sudden cardiac arrest following a lifetime of living with a heart condition.
He was a stalwart in his community and took on many roles, including managing the popular Our Carnoustie Facebook page.
Following his death, widow Natalie vowed to run 1,000 miles to raise money for the British Heart Foundation in memory of her beloved husband.
Natalie reached her 1,000-mile target in September and decided to carry on, hoping to clock up 2,021 miles by the end of 2021.
Escape from pain
Natalie said: “What started as an escape from the pain of loss developed into a running target which has been revised and revised again.
“My original aim was to run 1,000 miles this calendar year.
“I smashed that by the end of September, raising more than £3,000 for the British Heart Foundation.”
Had she been running continuously, Natalie would have fallen just short of reaching Saint-Tropez in France.
Natalie admitted she was never a strong runner before David’s death but said it helped her “head and heart to heal”.
“Since David died running has been my focus,” she said.
“It has been my headspace, my time-out, my release, my social contact with running friends through lockdown, my thinking time, my stop by the cemetery for a chat time.
“I have no doubt that running has helped my head and heart to heal.
“I still hate running but it has helped more than I ever thought possible.”
Natalie chose the British Heart Foundation for donations to her cause, saying the charity’s research helped David live with his condition.
She said she and the couple’s children Hannah, 16, and Lucas, 13, miss David greatly but try to stay positive.
She added: “David’s loss continues to impact our lives going forward but we do now find ourselves more familiar with, and more accepting of, our new normal.
“We always try to focus on remembering what we had rather than what we’ve lost. ”
Donations can still be made at justgiving.com/fundraising/natalie-mackland1
