Karen’s Story: Running together for a cause that united us all

Sometimes, the best way to tackle a challenge is with friends.

Karen Pirrie, her husband, Gordon, and friends, Claire and Euan Cadger, discovered this firsthand when they formed a team to run the Hairy Haggis Relay as part of the Edinburgh Marathon Festival. Each year, the two couples choose to take part in a different physical challenge and, in 2024, they decided to run together as a team for the first time in memory of their dads.

Karen’s story highlights the camaraderie, support, and fun that can be found in running together as a group for a cause close to you heart:

I have completed a half marathon before but didn’t want to commit to a full marathon. I wanted something that was still a challenge but wasn’t as difficult. I heard about a group of ladies from the local GP surgery running the Hairy Haggis Relay as a team. I had never heard of it before so I looked into it and thought this would be a great way to experience running part of the Edinburgh Marathon.

“Our team like to fundraise, so I was looking for a charity that would mean something to us all, then I found NHS Lothian Charity on the drop-down menu of charities on the Edinburgh Marathon Festival website. We decided to choose this charity because we all lost our dads at young ages and they had all been cared for in an NHS Lothian Hospital. My dad had a triple bypass, my husband’s dad had MS and accessed the DCN, Claire’s dad also had a neurological condition and Euan’s dad was cared for at the Edinburgh Cancer Centre. Our dads may have had different illnesses, but we all had personal connections to NHS Lothian. Running for NHS Lothian Charity was a way to support a cause that united us all, saying thank you to those who had cared for our loved ones and raising money to bring comfort to other families like ours.

“Some of our group had taken part in runs before so signing up for the Hairy Haggis Relay was a great way to get back into running. It also made us feel more committed to training and more accountable for completing the challenge because we were part of a team.

“It was a brilliant event to run; we really enjoyed it. We got to meet other people who were running the same leg. This meant I could travel to the finish line to cheer on the others with someone I had met.

“The event was well organised, and the communication and support from the Charity were second to none. All the information was there, and we were pleased to hear about how our fundraising would make a difference.

“We decided to stay in Gullane and do a bit of glamping after the run and, because we are a group of foodies, we wanted to go to the Bonnie Badger restaurant. We decided this would be our treat after completing the run and cracked open a bottle of bubbles to celebrate!

“We had a great experience and felt a great sense of achievement for raising money, having fun and completing the relay together.

“A heartfelt thank you to everyone who sponsored us. Your support not only helped motivate us to keep going but will also make a real difference to countless patients across NHS Lothian. Thank you.”