A TILLICOULTRY man has paid a fitting tribute to his late mother by smashing a 26-mile run on her birthday recently.

Chris McCallum decided to take on the Strathearn Marathon after losing mum Cath in February.

She suffered from Alzheimer's disease, and he was keen to to help support others battling the condition.

Although a keen runner, and a member of the local group Wee County Harriers, he had never taken on a race with that kind of mileage.

With a bad back and a physically demanding job as a joiner, he wasn't sure if he would be ready, but undertook four months of training.

Chris said: “My mum had Alzheimer’s so she had that maybe over four years. But the last two years were horrendous, she just totally changed.

“So when she died there I [thought], I’m going to do a marathon and I’m going to raise money for it.

“It is a great achievement to believe that you can do something that you couldn’t do before.

“It really lifts you, that you’re pushing your boundaries and things you thought you could do.”

Although his fitness levels allowed him to complete half-marathon distances regularly, he wanted to make sure he was ready for the longer challenge.

Ahead of the race itself, which included around 1500ft of ascent in Perthshire scenery, he did a trial run covering the 26.2 miles.

Chris took on the event in aid of the Alzheimer's Research UK, which aims to beat dementia, and was also driven by the desire to raise awareness.

He wants to see people speaking about the disease, which can have a huge range of symptoms that affect people in numerous ways.

“It’s quite devastating; obviously people need a lot of support. I think it’s maybe one in three people get in now,” Chris said.

“There’s so many different varieties because it effects so many different people in different ways.

“I think you're in a dark place at these times. The charities are there to help you and you can get support for all different reasons.”

The 44-year-old was joined for his challenge by running buddy Edd McManus, who also took part on the day and raised a couple of hundred pounds.

And his 16-year-old niece Olivia has also been busy doing her bit by asking for charitable donations in lieu of birthday gifts, raising around £300.

Chris added: “I was actually very nice for a good friend to do that as well.

“Not only has he been listening, he has obviously taken on board what I was saying about Alzheimer’s and how it effected the family.

“I had a target of £400, I’m up to £560 so it’s surpassed what I believed I could actually achieve.

“I would very much like to thank everybody who has supported and raised funds.”

Christopher has a fundraising page on Virgin Money Giving for anyone who would like to donate.