Forres man Ross Paterson completes first marathon in under three hours to raise £1500 for charity
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A FORRES man has raised almost £1500 for charity with a sub three hour marathon.
Ross Paterson (25) took part in the Edinburgh Marathon on Sunday, raising £1455 for Mental Mechanics Football Club and Prostate Cancer Research.
The Forres Thistle midfielder had to recover from several injuries – including a cracked ankle – in the build up to the run.
But after doing so, he managed to beat his target time of three hours, as well as smashing through his target of raising £500.
Ross, who came home in 2 hours 58 minutes and 13 seconds in what was his first-ever marathon, said: "I'm over the moon with how much I've raised.
"It has far surpassed my expectations. I'm overwhelmed and grateful for all the donations I've received so far.
"I thought £500 would be a great target but to get over £1000 is amazing. I made about £400 on race day alone, which is pretty incredible.
"I have had setbacks with injuries from football and I thought the run might not happen, but I felt good on the day.
"The aim was sub three hours so I was chuffed with the time."
Mental Mechanics, an Edinburgh-based football club set up in memory of Forres boy Charlie Tull, and Prostate Cancer Research are causes close to Ross.
"A lot of my pals help run Mental Mechanics," he said. "It feels good to be able to contribute to their financing.
"They've been really good with sharing my posts online and drawing attention to my fundraiser. They've really helped out a lot.
"Prostate Cancer is obviously a worry for all men so that's another one close to me."
Ross may have his debut marathon in the bag with his target time beaten, but he isn't happy to settle with that.
In fact, his experience has already got him thinking about his next effort.
"I really enjoyed the run," he said. "I kept my own pace and tried not to get caught up in anything.
"I said to myself pre-race that if I did it in under three hours then I'd be happy but now I kind of want to see if I can beat my time!
"I didn't get a full stint of training so there's a possibility I could go on and beat it.
"But first of all I'll be taking a couple of days to recover."
Donations are still being collected, with Ross hoping to reach the £1500 mark before Saturday. Visit www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/ross-paterson-7 to add your support.
