Northern Ireland

Belfast mother to run Great Wall of China marathon in aid of Type 1 Diabetes

Belfast mum-of-two, Catherine Dolliver pictured with her son, Finn (8), who was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes at the age of four
Belfast mum-of-two, Catherine Dolliver pictured with her son, Finn (8), who was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes at the age of four Belfast mum-of-two, Catherine Dolliver pictured with her son, Finn (8), who was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes at the age of four

A Belfast mother-of-two will be taking a fundraising drive for her son 26.2 miles further in May by conquering a world famous landmark.

Catherine Dolliver and her friend Trish Keating, from Newcastle, Co Down, are planning to run the Great Wall of China marathon on May 19, taking on its thousands of uneven steps and 1,856m climb to the finish line.

The marathon will raise vital funds for the JDRF charity, which works to find the cure for type 1 diabetes.

Mrs Dolliver (40), who suffered a brain haemorrhage five years ago, said she was undertaking the challenge for her son Finn (8), who was diagnosed with the condition at the age of four.

“Before Finn’s diagnosis we knew nothing about type 1 diabetes. It isn’t in either my or my husband’s family,” she said.

“I started to read more and more about how we could help Finn and efforts that are being made to find a cure. We came across JDRF and when we read about the work that they do specifically to help find a cure for type 1 diabetes we wanted to raise as much money to help the charity as well as to raise awareness of the condition.”

Jude Sutton, from JDRF, said any money raised would “make such a difference”.

“We are so grateful to Catherine and Trish for choosing to raise money for us, but also in total awe of them for taking on this challenge – this is not just 26.2 miles of running, there are thousands of steps and uneven paths to tackle, and we can’t wait to hear about their experience,” he said.

Donations can be made at justgiving.com/fundraising/catherine-dolliver4.