Siblings from West Lothian farm prepare to give it some welly with a marathon run in the capital
Kate Hall, 24, and her brother Will, 21, who live on a farm near East Calder are looking to complete the 26 miles-plus run in the capital wearing yellow wellington boots to raise money for two charities that are close to their hearts.
While most of the residents in West Lothian will be hoping for a continuation of the warm weather we've had in recent weeks, Kate and Will won't be too downhearted if there's a spot of rain as they take on the big run next Sunday, May 25.
The siblings will be running the marathon to help both RSABI (Royal Scottish Agricultural Benevolent Institution) and Farm Safety Foundation (Yellow Wellies).
Kate said: 'We enjoy running a bit but nothing serious. It's not something new to us but not something we're used to either. We normally go out running for a couple of hours at a time.
'I did run a marathon two years ago out in New Zealand when I was working on a sheep station.
'We've done a bit of running with the wellies on, Will's done a few park runs in his wellies but we've been training in trainers and not wellies.
'We've been gifted two pair of wellies from Hunter. They go right up to your knees so they will be quite warm if it's a hot day.
'We're not racing or anything like that, we just want to get to the finishing line and get it done.
'Our biggest fear is that it's going to be hot on the day. If the weather's hot we may have to be making some alterations to the wellies to let the air flow in.
'We're hoping it's a cold Scottish day with a bit of rain. I've managed to get a hold of other people who have done marathons in wellies before and get some advice from them. They've said make sure we get good comfy wellies and have lots of Vaseline and things.'
The two charities that Kate and Will have chosen to help are well-known to those who work in the farming industry. RSABI provides practical, emotional and financial support to all people involved in the Scottish agricultural industry, while Farm Safety Foundation (Yellow Wellies) is a small independent charity that works closely with young farmers and a range of farming organisations to help raise awareness of farm safety.
'We live on a small farm near Kirknewton,' said Kate. 'These are fantastic charities that support a lot of people in Scottish and UK agriculture. The general public might not be too well aware of them but they do absolutely fantastic work in rural communities, who will be familiar with them.'
Kate and Will have already brought in over £1000 through an online fundraising page.
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