A Kinross woman is set to take part in the London marathon as she pays tribute to a cousin who died suddenly last year.
Jaime Duffin (34) is training hard in her bid to complete the world-famous challenge in April.
She hopes to raise £2000 for charity CRY (Cardiac Arrest in the Young) to pay tribute to her cousin, Michelle Duffin, who suffered a heart attack after completing a bike race in South Africa last year.
She said, “Michelle was 33 years old and a personal trainer. After completing a bike race last year, she came off her bike, and collapsed.
“She had a cardiac arrest and died days later. It was obviously a massive shock to the entire family.
“Knowing how much she loved sports, and how much they meant to her I wanted to do something to honour her memory.
“I chose CRY as my charity, because it helps so many families who lose someone to heart conditions young.”No illusionsJaime has enlisted the help of personal trainer Tony Brotherton and is under no illusions about the ordeal ahead.
She said, “It is a scary prospect, but I’m enjoying it so far. I have four children and they’re my biggest supporters, although they do think I’m a bit crazy.
“My target is to finish in four-and-a-half hours, and I’m not even contemplating not getting over the finish line.”
Jaime said Michelle would have been thrilled to see her taking on the challenge.
She said, “She moved to South Africa as a teenager and we only saw each other a couple of times a year and it came as a massive shock when she died because she was the fit one of the family.
“It just seemed right to do something she would have loved herself.”
Having already raised a quarter of her goal, Jaime will be packing bags at the local supermarket to raise funds and also has a website for donation, uk.virginmoneygiving.com/jaimeduffin.