Largs man Ian Rutherford, who is a senior member of the North Ayrshire Athletics Club has raised over £5,500 for the Beatson Pebble Appeal over recent years.

Ian was attracted to the Beatson Pebble Appeal by the thought of a new cancer research centre in the city of Glasgow that would be at the forefront of cancer research and development of new treatments that would help cancer patients now and in the future not just here in Scotland but throughout the UK and worldwide.

Given the incredible work that's been already performed so far since it's opening in 2014 he has been more than delighted to support this wonderful cause since 2009.

Ian’s favourite run was the 2013 Cardiff Half Marathon as it was by far the best atmosphere. It was a beautiful Autumn day with tens of thousands of spectators lining the route. To see the likes of great athletics legends like Lynn Davies and Colin Jackson at the start line at Cardiff Castle gave the runners a massive lift. At the other end of the scale the hardest was the 2011 Dublin Marathon as it was run in heavy rain and 35 mph winds.

Ian trains a minimum of three times a week and usually covers 20 to 25 miles on a weekly basis, depending on what races he is preparing for. His advice to anyone new to running is never to be overwhelmed by your fears and instead to embrace the challenge of preparing and training. Once you enjoy your first experience you'll get that taste of wanting more in the future and with it embracing new experiences along the way. Ian visited the Wolfson Wohl Cancer Research Centre in Glasgow recently and was very impressed with the new building which was built and officially opened in 2014 and but also with the progression and development of the work performed by the leading scientists and support staff in their incredible work to find new solutions for future cancer treatments. Ian plans to race the Eindhoven Half Marathon in The Netherlands on Sunday 8 October.