Mum's marathon effort for charity

Lianne Dayson, 31, of Boston Spa finished last weekend’s Yorkshire Marathon in four hours and 51 minutes and dedicated the £600 she raised for Macmillan Cancer Relief to her grandad Gordon Nicholson.

“I started running two-and-a-half years ago,” said Lianne, whose children are now 13, nine and three.

“I had postnatal depression, was over weight and running saved me - it gave me a positive outlook on life. It’s the best thing I ever started.”

Lianne, who is a full-time mum, went on to run races from the distances of 5k to half marathon but was driven for more.

“I decided last year that I wanted to run a marathon, I spoke to my Grandad about this while he was suffering with terminal cancer, which he died of on December 23 2016,

“I promised I would run a marathon. So after his death it made me more determined to do it this year.

“I chose the Yorkshire marathon because my Grandad was a true Yorkshire man and I chose Macmillan to raise funds for because they helped support him when he was seriously ill. I know my Grandad would be proud of me.”

Lianne’s build up to the 26.2 miles saw her increase the miles run over the last few months, running four times a week.

But just four weeks before the big day, she started suffering from sciatic nerve pain and had to run less.

“I saw a physio and started increasing my miles again. Marathon training is a commitment,” added Lianne.

She added: “I am very proud of my finishing time after struggling badly with my sciatic nerve and missing weeks of training.

“It was a fantastic day and such great support from the crowds of people.”