Five years to the day that he nearly lost his leg, Alex Scoppie is attempting the Great North Run for the first time, while raising money for the RAF Association in memory of his grandfather.
Alex Scoppie taking on the Great North Run 2021
After badly breaking his ankle in a paintballing accident in 2016, the Leicester-based marketing worker was told by doctors he might never run again.
“It took me months before I could walk, and even longer to get back to the fitness level I was at before my accident, but I stubbornly refused to accept that I’d never be able to run, as it was something I’d always enjoyed.” said Alex (41)
The year after his recovery, Alex’s grandfather Laurence Stephenson, an RAF veteran of WW2, passed
away. Alex decided to run a half marathon in his memory, and set about raising over £400 for the RAF Association, which Laurence had been a member of for most of his life.
Alex said,
“Grandpa was born and raised in the North East, so if I was going to any race in his memory it was always going to be the Great North Run. This will be my third half marathon, but it will be the most personal to me because of that connection to him. I’ve had to delay it more than a year because of COVID, and now I’m really looking forward to completing this challenge.”
There’s still time to sponsor Alex, check out his JustGiving page here.
Our 2021 Great North Run sign up has now closed, but you can secure your spot for 2022 today! Register your interest here.
