Alasdair does his mum proud

A Drayton man who tackled the London Marathon in memory of his mother has raised more than £4,600 to help combat pancreatic cancer – the disease which claimed her life.

Alasdair Rowland completed the gruelling challenge in 4:17:42 – a time he was extremely pleased with, given how hot it was on the day.

“Completing the marathon was an amazing feeling, mixed with grief and hoping that the money raised will contribute to better diagnosis and treatment and will one day save the life of someone else’s mum,” he said.

“I want to thank everyone that supported me.”

His wife Diana, who tackled the race with Alasdair’s sister, Elly, last year, said: “We went down and supported him and the atmosphere on the course was absolutely amazing.

“There were lots of tears shed after the finish line and his mum would have been so proud of him and his massive achievement.”

Diana and Elly raised more than £11,000 for the Pancreatic Cancer Research Fund last year, having started training for their debuts a few weeks after giving birth to summer babies.

Alasdair’s mum Karen, who worked as a weaver at Alby Barns near Aylsham, and lived at Roughton near Cromer, died of pancreatic cancer at the age of 64 in March 2023, two years after her diagnosis.

A keen roller-skater, runner, skier, water-skier, swimmer and gymnast, she took on any challenge she faced with determination.

The family have applied the same spirit to a host of fundraising events to boost Alasdair’s total, including a beer festival in Aylsham and quizzes at Blofield FC and Old Catton Church Hall. The rest of the money came from individual donations.