AN ALLOA man has taken strength from heartache to complete a boxing match and a half marathon within a weekend in memory of his late granddad.

David James McNaughton has raised £220 and counting for Cancer Research UK in the process, tackling an Ultra White Collar Boxing (UWCB) match on Saturday, March 11, before completing Alloa Half Marathon the next morning.

The 22-year-old, who is a freshly-qualified personal trainer, featured in the Advertiser in January as he began preparations.

He revealed that the double effort was dedicated to his late granddad Archie MacDonald, who sadly passed away last month after battling cancer.

David said: “I was planning on doing the fight because my pops was ill with cancer. He used to come watch me when I was younger – doing Taekwondo fights and competing.

“I wanted to give him one last wee fight to watch before he passed, but unfortunately, he passed before the fight happened, so I've done it in memory of my pops.”

David defeated his opponent after the decision went to the judges, with part one of the weekend challenge complete.

And just hours after his fight at Alloa Town Hall, David went on to run his first-ever half marathon the next morning, finishing in just over two-and-a-quarter hours.

Speaking about his granddad, David added: “He was an amazing man, I think I've made him proud by getting it completed and managing to do it all in the one weekend.”

Raising the funds was a challenge but David surpassed his original target of £200 thanks to generous supporters and corporate sponsorship.

The UWBC fight, aimed at beginners with training provided by the Scottish Martial Arts Centre, was tough but fantastic at the same time.

David said: “It was brilliant, it was a great experience.

“There were some 16 fights on the night so there was a lot of money raised by a lot of people.”

The half marathon, as reported last week, saw nearly 2,000 runners pound the picturesque roads of the Wee County which David tackled despite still being sore form the night before.

He mused: “The run was actually pretty enjoyable compared to the fight, I enjoyed the run a lot more – it was my first half marathon so I didn't know how it would go, but it went really well.

“It was a great weekend to look back on.”

David has just qualified as a personal trainer and is hoping to inspire others to take on sporting events while raising funds for good causes.

Find his Facebook and Instagram pages under DJM Fitness and visit justgiving.com/fundraising/david-mcnaughton3 to boost his fundraiser, the page will be open for a few weeks to come.