A LARGS mum swapped the sights of London for her seaside prom as she staged a marathon charity effort.

Claire Paton, 45, ran the full 26.2 miles in just over a dozen laps between her home at Aubery Crescent and Mackerston in an impressive four hours 25 minutes and 44 seconds.

Claire was raising funds for Junior Diabetes Research Foundation, a cause close to her heart as two of her closest friends have daughters with the type one form of the condition.

She said: "Literally overnight their lives became a whirlwind of finger prick tests, insulin injections, carb counting, hypos, hospital admissions and sleepless nights.

"The things we take for granted such as our children going to birthday parties and sleepovers become a minefield as you need to think about insulin levels each day.

"JDRF is an amazing charity. Not only do they organise great coping strategies, they are also are committed to eradicating T1 through the ground breaking research they do."

Claire, who ran in the London Marathon in 2016, had planned to return to the capital for a second time this year before coronavirus hit.

She explained: "The marathon couldn't take place in April as planned and as it was taking place last weekend I decided to do it virtually in Largs.

"Basically I covered the same distance and used an official app for my phone which tracked my distance. The prom in Largs was the perfect place."

Claire, who works in the office at Largs Academy, added: "I had to change my original route which would have included the cycle path to Fairlie as it was flooded after heavy rain.

"I had a few people came to run with me including some work colleagues and I had plenty of well wishers along the way.

"It was tough from 22 miles on but I had people waiting at the end and I knew I had to get there to celebrate with them.

"It was a shame not to be able to run in London, but Largs proved an able substitute."

Claire celebrated by having a family meal at The Three Reasons with husband Scott and sons Alexander, 18, Logan, 12, and Mark, nine.

She added: "The owner of there, Stewart Grant, has been very supportive and had a charity collection tin, as did my husband Scott at AD Paton's Butchers, so they raised a good few hundred pounds each.

"Hopefully the money raised will help."

Claire has already raised £2,850 but is still collecting. To donate, go to www.justgiving.com/fundraising/clarepaton2