Prestwick couple hit marathon trail to raise funds for daughter

Feb 5 2010 by Stuart Wilson, Ayrshire Post (main ed)

A FITNESS-DAFT couple are set to run the biggest race of their life.

Husband and wife team, Alan and Elaine Auld, will pound the streets of Barcelona to raise cash for charity.

They’ll run a marathon in aid of their daughter Iona, who suffers from the rare Prader-Willi syndrome.

Only 90 people in Scotland suffer from the debilitating illness, which will affect the tot for the rest of her life.

Now mum and dad are ready to throw on their running shows and raise some vital charity cash.

Police officer Alan, of Prestwick, revealed: “I’ve been competing as a runner for 20 years, but this is the first fundraiser I’ve done.

“Myself and Elaine are determined to raise as much money as we can and hopefully raise awareness of the syndrome.

“It’s incredibly rare, and for the first eight months of Iona’s life she was diagnosed as having cerebral palsy, because the doctors couldn’t identify what was wrong.”

Sufferers of Prader-Willi syndrome typically have low muscle tone, learning difficulties, and face a long battle with obesity.”

Alan and Elaine, members of the Ayrodynamic triathlon club, will head for Barcelona in March to line up with runners from around the world.

The couple have two other children, James and Cameron, and are well known names on the Ayrshire running scene.

Alan, 41, added: “Iona means the world to myself and Elaine and is a big part of our family, along with James and Cameron.

“We’ve already raised a few hundred pounds and hopefully we can make it past four figures.

“Iona faces a long battle with this, so we’ll do anything we can to help in a small way.”

To donate money to Alan and Elaine, visit www.justgiving.com/alan-auld or drop into the Ayrodynamic club.