An Edinburgh man is preparing to run his own version of the cancelled Edinburgh marathon to raise funds for Scotland's suicide prevention services.
Calum Lavery, 26, decided to forgo the usual 12-20 weeks to train for a marathon and challenge himself to prep for it in just 4 weeks.
The furthest Calum, from Cramond, has ever ran is just 16km - a big difference from the 42km he is set to run on Saturday 15 August.
With the run now just over a week away Calum told Edinburgh Live : "I'm looking forward to getting it done to be honest! I think training is going well so far but it'll show on the day!
"At 13 years old my Dad took his own life and it's something I still struggle to talk about, but that is slowly changing.
"As I have matured I've encountered the benefits of talking about one's mental health and the positive effects that can have on my own wellbeing - a big part of my inspiration for this run.
"During lockdown my day to day structure changed a lot and it affected my mental health - running helped a lot. I also wanted it to be a personal challenge for myself.
"I've lived half my life with and without my Dad - I'm glad to be doing something that could help others."
Calum is raising funds for SAMH (Scottish Association for Mental Health) - who have allowed him to ring fence all funds into their suicide prevention services.
The route Calum will be taking stays true to the Edinburgh Marathon which was cancelled earlier this year due to the coronavirus pandemic. However, Calum instead is planning to finish the 42km run at Cramond - where he's from - as 'it'll be easier to hobble home from.'
You can support Calum's One Month Marathon here.
