A BLACKBURN Harriers runner completed the Virtual London Marathon - and dedicated each mile to people with Alzheimer's who have died this year. 

Lindsay Davies works for Springfield Care Home in Blackburn and dedicated one mile to each person they had lost in 2020. 

In her second London Marathon, Lindsay completed the run in a personal best of four hours, 23 minutes and 34 seconds.

Lindsay said: “It was just nice to be thinking about them on the way round. I thought about work and the people I was running it for.

“I had a list with me of the people I was running for. Sometimes when I was on my own on the canal bank I was thinking of them.”

Lindsay set off from her home with her first stop at Ewood, then running up Park Lee Road to Royal Blackburn Hospital.

The 48-year-old then carried on to Stopes Brow and into Darwen, back through to Livesey Branch Road and down to Cherry Tree, onto the canal before finishing off at Witton Park.

Runners in this year's marathon could complete the run over a 24-hour period but Lindsay started at 9am completing the full run.

April's London Marathon was cancelled this year due to coronavirus with people being urged to run it at home.

Lindsay said: “I don’t think I could ever do it again virtually.

“It was really tough on my own.

“It is going to go down in history and there were 45,000 other runners around the country who completed it.

“I had to set out my own route and I gave myself a really challenging route.”

After the 18 mile mark, a previous leg injury flared up which, along with a blister, meant Lindsay had to slow down. However she was still able to knock over four minutes off her previous time.

“Just after mile 18 the Rocky theme tune came on my music,” Lindsay added. “I thought, I can do it, I can keep going.”

Her husband and daughter met her eight times around the course and were at the finish line, along with her coach, and others cheering her on to the end.

Lancashire Telegraph:

“Crossing the finish line was a weird feeling. I stopped and someone said, are you finished and I said ‘yeah, I’m done’, it was weird not having that crowd to cheer me on.”

Lindsay came 8,600th out of 45,000 and raised more than £200 for Alzheimer's charities in sponsorship. She dedicated the run to 26 of the patients she had cared for.

She has already signed up for the marathon next year and is hopeful that she will be able to be back in London for the run.