Glasgow man takes on Edinburgh Marathon in memory of mum

On May 28th, Michael Risi (26), from Glasgow, will run in the Edinburgh Marathon to raise money for MND Scotland in memory of his mum, Allyson, who died of motor neuron disease (MND).

Marking one year since Allyson sadly passed away aged 60, Michael will be accompanied by friends Chris, James, Gary, Ian and Rebecca, to take on the 26.2 mile challenge for others in Scotland living with MND.

Speaking on the first time Allyson began to show symptoms of MND, Michael said: “Mum’s first noticeable symptoms were stiffening of the ankle and slurred speech. After being referred to a specialist, the process of elimination began.”

After undergoing tests to rule out several other possible diseases, Allyson was sadly diagnosed with MND in August 2020.

Recalling Allyson’s reaction to her diagnosis, Michael said: “It was a true testament to her character how she dealt with this illness. Every step of the way, Mum showed immense resilience and courage, all done with a smile on her face.”

MND is a rapidly progressing terminal illness, which stops signals from the brain reaching the muscles. This can cause someone to lose the ability to walk, talk, swallow or breathe unaided and the average life expectancy is just 18 months from diagnosis.

He continued: “As the disease worsened, so did her mobility, which ultimately left her being unable to control any of the muscles in her body and unable to talk and eat for the last year or so of her life.”

Despite the mammoth challenge ahead, Michael admits to having never been a keen runner and only started training with the goal of completing the Edinburgh Marathon.

Speaking on training for the marathon, he said: “We are all quite active but none of us have really done any competitive or long-distance running.

“I can only really speak for myself, but I’d say it’s going well. There’s peaks and troughs, but we started with 5km runs and slowly increased the distance over time, running in the region of 25 km now.

In order to test their training so far, the friends recently took part in the Alloa Half-Marathon.

Michael said: “We all thoroughly enjoyed the half (surprisingly!), and it has given us lots of confidence to push on with our training.

“I think we’ve all been surprised with how well the body can cope with different demands, especially when you’re trying to achieve a goal to raise awareness and generate as much interest as possible in something as devastating as motor neuron disease.”

The group of friends have found extra motivation through their fundraising success, surpassing their initial £3,000 goal in just 24 hours and are now on the way to raising over £7,500.

He said: “We honestly thought that if we could raise £500 each, then that would be a success but to reach that in the first day was unbelievable. We all feel grateful for every donation. It’s been humbling to be honest.

“My mum would be immensely proud of our effort and determination to help a great cause and I know she will be with us every step of the way!’

Thanking Michael for his support, Head of Fundraising, Julie Macdonald said: “It’s incredible to hear how Michael and his friends have pushed themselves to take on the Edinburgh Marathon and we cannot thank them enough for challenging themselves to support people affected by MND.

“Thanks to them, we can continue to fund pioneering research and provide vital services that many people living with MND rely on.

“Well done, Michael, Chris, James, Gary, Ian and Rebecca on making time count for the Scottish MND community and we wish you all the best with the marathon. Good luck and thank you!”

You can support Michael’s amazing effort by donating here. To find more ways that you can make time count for people affected by MND, please visit us here.