Finishing line in sight for Borders marathon man Chris Laidlaw

The 31-year-old, formerly of Jedburgh but now based in Edinburgh, is going on the run again in the capital this Friday, starting and finishing at one of his old clubs, Boroughmuir’s Meggetland home ground.

The ex-Jed-Forest player is setting off at 9am and is inviting well-wishers to join him for part, or all, of his 12th and last 26-mile run of 2021.

To check out his route, go to twitter.com/laidlaw9

The former Boroughmuir and Scotland club international stand-off took on the challenge of doing monthly marathons to raise funds for the Murrayfield Injured Players’ Foundation, Marie Curie and Alzheimer’s Scotland in memory of his late mother Joy.

Laidlaw, now a coach at the Scottish Rugby academy, has raised almost £21,000 so far, nearly double his current target of £12,000.

To make a donation, go to www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/12in12in21

Laidlaw picked the foundation and Alzheimer’s Scotland to thank them for the support they’ve given to his father, Borders rugby legend Roy Laidlaw, and Marie Curie to show his gratitude for the support it provided for his late mum during her fight against cancer.

“Going into this, I don’t think I really appreciated the extent running a marathon every month would have on me physically and mentally, so I am looking forward to the end of the challenge,” he said.

“It’ll be nice to take stock and reflect on what I’ve achieved once I finish number 12. I think because I’ve always been focused on the next one – when am I going to do it, where, what will the route look like – I’ve not had a chance to realise how far I’ve come.

“To now have raised over £20,000 for these three charities is just amazing.

“I started out with a target of £3,000 and I would have been really chuffed with that, so to have nearly raised seven times as much is just incredible.

“I cannot thank everyone enough for their generosity – it’s meant the world to me.”