WEIGHT LOSS, ME-TIME AND STRESS RELIEF ARE JUST SOME OF THE REASONS MOST OF US RUN. BUT FOR THESE THREE AMAZING WOMEN IT’S THEIR BELOVED FAMILY MEMBERS WHO INSPIRE EVERY STEP

WORDS: LISA JACKSON

HONOUR RUN

Lisa Gilbert’s daughter Nicole at the Stampede Finish

”MY DAUGHTER NICOLE’S ILLNESS INSPIRED ME TO RUN”

“Running is so much more to me than just running, it’s given me so much and ultimately I have my daughter Nicole to thank for that”, says Lisa Gilbert, 38, from Newcastle. “Nicole was born in 2006 with biliary atresia, an extremely rare liver disease. When she was little and poorly I was so worried about her that I wouldn’t take her to the park in case she caught bugs offother kids. That all changed when my son Liam came along three years later and I realised I needed to allow her to live her life. Nicole is in pain most days but is so used to it that she just ignores it and lives life to the full.

“When Nicole was seven I entered a Total Warrior obstacle race to raise money for the Children’s Liver Disease Foundation (CLDF) and was surprised to find I actually enjoyed it, even the part when I got stuck in mud up to my waist. Six months later I joined a local running club, aiming to do the 2015 Great North Run (GNR) as I’d been given a charity place by the CLDF. I kept getting injured and really wasn’t enjoying the training but I’d promised myself I’d do the GNR for my miracle girl and I wasn’t going to give up. That first half marathon was the most emotional run I’ve ever done: I did it for Nicole but also for my dad, who looked after my children while I trained. Sadly he passed away a couple of months before it, so he never got the chance to see me finish.