Ballymoney man takes on 310km running challenge for dementia research

Ian Elliott, who is originally from Ballymoney but now lives in Edinburgh, has signed up for Alzheimer’s Research UK’s Running Down Dementia challenge.

Running Down Dementia challenges supporters to run either 100km (Pioneer), 300km (Epic) or their ownchoice of distance (Maverick) between 1 March and 31 August to raise money for the UK’s leading dementia research charity.

Ian said: “My mum, Mary Elliott, is one of over 850,000 people across the UK living with dementia. I’ve taken part in the Running Down Dementia challenge for a few years now. This year I decided to do something a bit different by running 10km every day during August. It’s a great way to get fit and raise money for an important cause.”

Ian has so far raised £750 and is hoping to get up to £1000 by the end of the challenge. To sponsor him visit: https://run.thetreblechallenge.org/pages/ian-elliott2021

Alzheimer’s Research UK, which is the official charity partner of parkrun UK, first launched Running Down Dementia in 2016.

The campaign has so far raised over £1million for life-changing research.

Julia Sobik, Head of Sporting Events at Alzheimer’s Research UK, said: “Dementia affects a significant proportion of the population – more than half of UK adults know someone with dementia. Today, there are no effective treatments to slow, stop or prevent the diseases that cause dementia, but scientists are working hard to change that.

“We are so grateful to everyone who is clocking up the kilometres for Running Down Dementia. The vital funds raised will help us in our mission to make breakthroughs possible for people with dementia that will keep them connected to their families, their worlds and themselves for longer.”

To sign up for Running Down Dementia go to run.thetreblechallenge.org

When someone signs up they create their own supporter page where people can see how they are getting on and sponsor them. Participants can connect their supporter page through tracking app Strava to record their activity or can manually add runs or walks.

Anyone who raises £200 will receive a free Alzheimer’s Research UK neckwarmer and participants who raise £400 will get a Running Down Dementia T-shirt.

For further information about Alzheimer’s Research UK visit www.alzheimersresearchuk.org