After she had completed the New York Marathon in 2013, Karen Gibson swore that he would never attempt another.
Indeed, she was so adamant she wouldn’t put herself through the ordeal again that she dumped her running shoes into a bin in the Big Apple after the race.
Now though, the football physio has had a change of heart and will go an extra 26 miles, 385 yards in next month’s London Marathon to raise funds for the Motor Neurone Disease Association.
Karen chose the charity after being “overwhelmed” when she saw the plight of former Rangers star Fernando Ricksen who has been struck down by the illness which at present, has no cure.
Karen, who is set to move from Raith Rovers to become Hearts head physio, was in attendance at Ibrox in January when a host of former Light Blues’ greats gathered to play a testimonial match for the Dutchman.
Over 41,000 fans flocked to pay tribute and there was barely a dry eye in the house when they saw the toll the disease has already taken on Ricksen who kicked off the match.
Karen, who knew Ricksen from her time treating youth players at Rangers, was so moved, she was determined to do something to help in the fight against MND so she decided to run the London Marathon.
Unfortunately, red tape meant she was only given the go-ahead to take part 10 weeks before the event on April 26 and she faces a race against time to be fit enough to compete.
However, Gibson, who was physio at Dundee for several years before joining Raith, is determined to run through the pain barrier and raise £3,000 for the MND Association.
She said: “When I worked as a physio with the Rangers youth players at Murray Park, I would often see Fernando there and would chat with him in passing.
“I went to his testimonial game and I was overwhelmed when I saw him walking out onto the pitch.
“It made me determined to do something so I wrote to the MND charity asking if it would be possible to get a spot in the London Marathon.
“However, they said there were no spaces available but I asked them to keep me in mind if there was a cancellation.
“Just a week before the deadline to register for the marathon, someone pulled out through injury and I was given their place.
“That though meant I had less than 10 weeks to train for the race.
She added: “I had said after I ran the New York Marathon last year that was the end for me.
“There is even a picture of me throwing my running shoes in the bin.
“But I raised £8,000 for a kids cancer charity running in New York and I was determined to do something similar for MND.
“So I have been out pounding the streets and training with Raith.
“One of our keepers Kevin Cuthbert is a personal trainer so he has been helping me and I have done weights for the first time which has helped strengthen my legs.
“A couple of weeks ago, I was supposed to run 16 miles but there were complications because our Scottish Cup game against Inverness was called off.
“So I now have to run 18 miles this Sunday which I am not looking forward to one bit.
“It is a small price to pay though to help raise funds to fight a disease that has struck down Fernando and so many others.”
Anyone wanting to help Karen reach her fundraising target can do so via her JustGiving website at www.justgiving.com/Karen-Gibson02