Fundraising run for Linda Norgrove on 37th birthday

The mother and sister of the Scottish aid worker Linda Norgrove are to mark what would have been her 37th birthday tomorrow by running a half marathon in Glasgow in her memory.

Lorna Norgrove and her daughter Sofie are raising money by taking part in the Bank of Scotland Great Scottish Run for the foundation set up in Linda’s name to carry on her works in Afghanistan.

The Isle of Lewis woman was kidnapped and killed during an attempt by American forces to rescue her last October.

Mrs Norgrove, 63, from Mangersta in Uig on Lewis, and Sofie, 35, who is married with two children and lives in Kilchrenan outside Oban, have been hard in training. Sofie started running only three years ago after the birth of her first son but completed a half marathon in Oban the following year.

In a message on the pair’s fundraising page – http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/Norgrove – the foundation says that it will be an emotional time for them.

“This is a special day for them because it will be on Linda’s birthday,” it says.

“Lorna will be 63. She has run one half marathon, 23 years ago, in Stornoway. At that time she was a regular runner but stopped for a few years after a knee injury.

“She started again in earnest last year and now runs most days with the family dog, roughly three miles up the road behind her croft in Mangersta on the Isle of Lewis and back to the house over moor land and along the cliff tops.

“Her first challenge is to avoid further injury by following an established training regime.”

The Bank of Scotland Great Scottish Run is Scotland ‘s largest mass participation sporting event. It attracted a record-breaking 23,386 participants in 2010.

Numerous projects to help people in Afghanistan have been launched since Linda’s death. Recently her foundation announced that it was distributing nearly £23,000 into projects in the country.