Locally based runner fundraises ahead of London Marathon

This Sunday, locally based runner Emilia Todorova will take part in the London marathon raising funds for both Alzheimer Scotland and the Gibraltar Alzheimer’s and Dementia Society (GADS).

Ms Todorova is fundraising as dementia runs in her family and she has had other personal experiences with it.

“My great grandmother had dementia when I was younger, I remember her around the house and was always really sad to see,” she said.

“When I moved to Scotland, I was 15 and my sister and I kind of adopted this couple that were our neighbours. We met them in our first week of moving in with our mum.”

“They were quite elderly and they never had any children of their own, we just gelled with them really quickly and they really became like our adopted grandparents and they would think of us as their found granddaughters later in life.”

“We developed this really sweet relationship and that was over 15 years ago now.”

“John had Alzheimer's a little bit after we met him and he passed away from dementia about five years ago.”

“Laura, his wife, now has dementia and she's in a care home in Scotland and it has been really incredibly sad to see them both go to dementia.”

“Alzheimer Scotland, when John first started developing the symptoms, were actually incredibly helpful in providing support for Laura, on how she can care for him, and for us on how we can communicate with him and care for him as well.”

“I think they're just an incredibly important charity, because it's such a sad illness.”

“It's really difficult to watch someone you love go through it.”

“The work that GADS do here and Alzheimer Scotland do in Scotland is actually incredibly important, not only for the people who go through it but for their families as well.”

Ms Todorova moved to Gibraltar three years ago, and integrated herself into the community through sports like running and cycling.

Despite lacking personal connections to Gibraltar's GADS, she found their work resonated with the support she received in Scotland, prompting her to fundraise for them alongside Alzheimer Scotland.

To date, she has raised £2,300 for Alzheimer Scotland and £200 for GADS, with donations regularly coming in ahead of the marathon this weekend.

She has raised money for GADS on previous occasions, such as a raffle or a bake sale, using her connections she has made and relying on who she describes as “the generous people in Gibraltar.”

This will be her second marathon, having completed Seville’s in 2022, but it will be her first since breaking her ankle.

“Which makes training and running long distances quite different,” she said.

“It used to always hurt when I started running again. But now, I think my pain threshold has increased and it gets sore around the 10k mark and beyond.”

“I think at this point in time, I'm just used to it being there. And I just manage it with painkillers on the really long runs.”

London also feels very different for other reasons. When she prepared for Seville, she was just really thinking about a race and she had never done a marathon before but enjoyed long distance running.

“Running for me is enjoyment. It's not punishment. I do it because I enjoy it, as wild as it is to say that you enjoy a 42km run. I did even though I was in pain,” she said.

“But London, I think, is special. And every day when I train, I remember why I do it.”

“I want to go see Laura and I want to tell her about a marathon but she doesn't communicate anymore and she can't really understand anything.”

“But the training is special. The memories are special.”

She will depart the Rock today, in plenty of time to soak up the atmosphere at the runner expo and collect her number ahead of the event, which for her has a starting time of 11am.

While she may be running alone, she will not be alone on the day, with friends and family aiming to strategically place themselves along the route, primed to give her that much needed boost through the gruelling 42kms.

In addition, she knows that London is known for the incredible atmosphere it has from supporters all along the distance as well as from fellow runners.

To donate and support Ms Todorova’s goal online visit: https://www.justgiving.com/page/emilia-todorova-1689237487386