A FORMER soldier, who lost both his mother-in-law and father-in-law to cancer, is preparing to run the Inverness Half-Marathon — in full military attire and with the weight of 18 bags of sugar on his back.
Graham Johnson is aiming to raise £3000 for both the Highland Hospice and the British Limbless Ex-Service Men’s Association (BLESMA) — two causes which are very close to his heart.
Mr Johnson’s father-in-law, Clive Davenport, died at the hospice last February after battling stomach cancer which had spread to his liver.
Then, in November, Mr Johnson’s mother-in-law, Sheila Davenport, died of a rare form of cancer called Mesothelioma. "The care the hospice gave both my father and mother-in-law was just fantastic," said Mr Johnson, who has three children: Michael (19), Stephen (18) and Emily (11), and lives in Woodlands Avenue, Westhill, with wife Wendy.
"The care was over a long period for my father-in-law, as he was in and out of the hospice over two to three years. It was strange, as it was the opposite for Sheila as it was very quick. The staff were all just brilliant, Sheila was happy and it made the family happy."
BLESMA, the national charity for limbless, serving and ex-service men and women, their dependants and widows, is also a charity he holds dear, as he served in the army with the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers for four years, until 1999.
Today, the 35-year-old works as a sales executive at Ness Motors Citroen in Harbour Road, Inverness, but is no stranger to running, deciding to give himself an extra challenge by doing the half-marathon in military gear, with 40lbs on his back.
"I have done a couple of half-marathons and one whole marathon, but I have never done it with a 40lbs weight before — it’s a physical challenge for me," he said. "To actually do it, I’m going to go through pain and suffering, but it’s nothing like what people will go through at the hospice and like those who BLESMA helps."
With the marathon looming on 11th March, Mr Johnson is training hard.
"I train with the rucksack on in Culloden and Balloch woods, and I have been getting some strange looks," he laughed.
The Global Energy Inverness Half Marathon, 5k fun run and 5k team attack — supported by The Inverness Courier — takes place on Sunday 11th March. Entry is open until 22nd February. The event will raise money for The Archie Foundation, for a new children’s ward at Raigmore Hospital.
For further information, go to www.invernesshalfmarathon.co.uk.
