Man running Brighton Marathon for mum says "dementia takes something from her every day"
Colin McCord is running to raise money for the Alzheimer's Society
A runner, competing in the Brighton Marathon to raise money for the Alzheimer's Society, has likened dementia to a thief, saying it "takes something new every day".
Colin McCord is running the 26 miles today in recognition of the care the charity gives his mother, who was diagnosed with dementia two years ago.
"Dementia is kind of like a thief, it takes something from her every day and it's cruel"
He said: "It's been tough, and the guys and girls from the Alzheimer's Society have been a great help to me and my mum especially over the last couple of years with Covid.
"They say the sons and daughters go through grief before they've gone, because we go through the diagnosis with them...and dementia doesn't go away it only gets worse.
"There's 850,000 people in this country that have got dementia and that number keeps rising".
The event is returning today following numerous cancellations and postponements due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Colin says that's made preparing for the run even harder. He said: "If you're doing a 20-week training plan you've got to throw yourself into it, you can't dodge stuff you've got to have the mindset to do it.
"So the first time I did it, I was 12-weeks into the training plan when it got pulled. You did get the chance to do the marathon remotely, you can do it virtually, but I always wanted to do it physically and face-to-face".