Vicki puts best foot forward in support of Macmillan nurses

Vicki Carson laced up her running shoes and hit the streets of Belfast on Monday to take part in the annual May Day marathon in a bid to raise funds for nurses of Macmillan Cancer Support.

Vicki was inspired to take on the challenge after her grandmother, 83-year-old Islandmagee resident Mary Brennan, was diagnosed with mouth cancer last September. Mary has undergone radiotherapy treatment and is thankfully now on the road to recovery.

And to show her appreciation for the work done by Macmillan nurses, personal trainer Vicki made it her mission to complete the first three legs of the relay race - a distance of 17 miles. Vicki’s friends completed the remainder of the run, and the team has so far raised a whopping total of £1,500 for the charity, with donations still coming in.

Speaking ahead of Monday’s race, 27-year-old Vicki told the Times: “I ran 12-miles of the marathon last year, but this year will be the longest distance I have run to date. It will a challenge, but it is for a great cause and I am looking forward to it.”

“My granny is very well known in Islandmagee and so local people have been very generous in their donations.

“People have even been putting donations through my letter box, which is fantastic and shows how well-thought of my granny is in the local community.”

Vicki’s grandmother is not the only person in her life who has suffered from the disease however, and she has worked with many cancer patients in her role as a personal trainer.

“I train a lot of people who have previously been diagnosed with cancer and subsequently been given the all clear, so I know all to well the effect it has on lives.

“I have the utmost respect for the work done by the nurses of Macmillan and this is my way of giving something back,” Vicki concluded.

Anyone who would like to sponsor Vicki can still do so by logging on to her facebook page at www.justgiving.com/Vicki-Carson