Motherwell AC runner raises over £2k in gruelling charity endurance test

Motherwell Athletics Club runner Douglas Samson joked that he endured a ‘24-hour suffer-fest’ but is delighted to have raised over £2000 for charity by running over 100 miles at the Glenmore 24 ultra marathon.

Samson, 39, from Motherwell, ran a four-mile loop for 24 hours in Glenmore forest, near Aviemore, completing 101.7 miles, with an 8,100ft elevation, finishing 12th from 110 runners.

In doing so, he raised more than £2000 for Glasgow Children’s Hospital, and is delighted with his effort.

He said: “I’m really pleased with the fundraising. Everyone has been incredibly generous and it’s a cause that a lot of people know, and it touches a lot of people.

“It’s lovely to have that support. That people support you personally, but are also happy to donate to the challenge.

“If I can raise some funds through a 24-hour suffer-fest, I’m more than happy to do so!

“The Glenmore 24 has been on my radar for a long time. I enjoy ultra marathons and it was my first time doing a 24-hour run.

“When I signed up for it, I thought I’d give 100 miles a go, as a sort of established target for a lot of people when you do a 24-hour race.

“With a fair wind, a bit of luck and good training, you can hit 100, so that was my goal.

“The Glenmore four-mile loop has its pros and cons.

“On the plus-side, my wife Gayle was my crew, so every four miles she had everything laid up on the table that I might need, so that was pretty good.

“You never know what you’re going to want to eat or drink at a particular time, but what I planned from a nutrition perspective, after about eight hours I couldn’t really stomach it any more, because it was so hot.

“Gayle was able to get me different fuel and force me to have stuff when I didn’t necessarily feel like it,