Elgin Parkrun tribute to 100 Marathon legend Jon Ward with Moray Road Runners and Hereford Couriers Running Club
FRIENDS and former running mates will pay an emotional tribute to an outstanding athlete at Elgin Parkrun on Saturday, August 12.
Jon Ward (34), a corporal at RAF Lossiemouth, was a supreme runner at all distances and he had completed 100 marathons.
Family members and friends ran sections of the event – with John Anderson running all 100 miles - and they raised more than £13,000 for the Samaritans charity.
Jon was a member of Moray Road Runners (MRR) and the Parkun will be taken over by members, who will fill all the volunteer roles at the Saturday morning 5k run around Cooper Park in Elgin, which starts at 9.30am.
Many more will be among the runners and they will be joined by friends from Jon's home area of Hereford, who will launch the Jon Ward Hereford 5k in Elgin.
This is a run in Jon's memory which will take place on Sunday, August 20, with all profits going to charity. Jon was a member of the Hereford Couriers Running Club from from 2010-2017.
Members of MRR will do a separate 5k tomorrow around Cooper Park, from 8am, in support of the Hereford charity event.
Jon picked up countless medals and awards at distances ranging from 5k to ultra running, and was proud to be a member of the 100 Marathon Club.
He ran his 100th marathon in 2018 and became the first person to run the entire length of the North East 250 route in 2019, a full distance of 260 miles.
Kevin Morrison, a member of MRR, will be one of the volunteers and will also run the 5k at 8am in his memory.
"Jon was probably one of the greatest runners the club has ever had. The times I ran with Jon, seeing him in action was something else," he said.
"We always do a beach run on the anniversary of his death as Jon liked running on the beach at Lossiemouth."
Elgin Parkrun is free, all you need to do is register online to get your individual barcode to ensure you get an official time. You can find out more details at www.parkrun.org.uk/elgin/
