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Congratulations to Kerry Smith, who finishes her ‘20k every day’ challenge TODAY! Kerry tells us why she was so proud to support Alzheimer Scotland in honour of Nanny P.
In memory of nan, I promised that every 5 years on the anniversary of her death I would complete a charity challenge to raise money for Alzheimer Scotland. Over the years, I’ve challenged myself by walking increasingly longer times on the treadmill nonstop – 12 hours, 15 hours, 18 hours and then 20 hours. My 20-hour challenge 5 years ago was particularly gruelling! 10 March 2017 marked 20 years since my nan died and it was time for another challenge.
This time I decided my challenge would be to cover 20k EVERY DAY for 81 days in a row, because nan was 81 when she passed away. I could walk, run or cycle my 20k. And in true "Forrest Gump" style, I invited people to join me along the way to share their stories and help me raise money for a very worthy cause.
Nanny P was a fabulous nan and meant a great deal to me. I was given a ring she wore that her husband gave her in 1940, which has been round my neck (because it's too small for any of my fat fingers!) every day since the day she died. I know the heartache dementia can cause and to raise money for Alzheimer Scotland will always be my way of saying thank you to the fantastic network who support people with dementia and their families. You do a really good job!
I have raised over £5k and completed days in Spain, Northampton, Norwich, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee, Braemar and Ballater. I even had a live link to Wales when a friend did her run there while I did mine at the same time in Aberdeen!
On my journey, I have taken in munros, sunshine (in Spain, mainly!), lots of rain (in Aberdeen), local sights, special events including bake sales, raffles, quiz nights, danceathons and classathons. A whole host of different people have joined me on the way, including friends, family, people who have been affected by Alzheimer's and Andrea Watt - the fundraiser from the Alzheimer Scotland office in Aberdeen.
Donations have come through my JustGiving page on a regular basis and I am humbled and thankful for all the donations and support I have received. My mum and step father have pledged to give me £10 per day, which will take me way over my £5k target. Very chuffed with that!
The whole experience will be one I will never forget and of course there have been ups and downs along the way, with many stories to tell. Today I will finish my challenge at The Warehouse Health Club in Aberdeen, where I am the Club Director. It will be great to finish up on home turf, with so many of the people who have supported me over the past 81 days. Looking back at all the photos and videos has made me realise what a huge task I have undertaken. It really has been amazing!
If you’d like to find out more about my challenge you can head over to Facebook where I have posted a wee video every day with a snapshot of the route I have done through my GPS watch. And if you’d like to make a donation to my challenge you can find my JustGiving page.