A regional editorial chief will run the London Marathon for a charity’s life-saving research after her husband survived a series of heart attacks.

Alison Gow, interim audience & content director for audio and video at Reach plc, will undertake the 26-mile challenge in aid of the British Heart Foundation, with the hope of raising £2,500 for the good cause.

Alison’s decision to support the BHF comes after her husband Steve “suffered a string of mini heart attacks” in September last year, followed by a larger one.

So far, she has raised more than £700 in sponsorship.

Alison Gow with her husband Steve

In a JustGiving post, Alison wrote: “The motivation behind this is very personal; in September 2022 my husband Steve found himself in A&E having had a suspected heart attack. It later emerged that he’d suffered a string of mini heart attacks over several days, and then the Big One.

Thanks to the amazing care he received at the North Wales Cardiac Unit at Glan Clwyd Hospital, Steve is recovering well, and has even started some very light running again.

“You could say he’s lucky, but that would take away from the painstaking research, state-of-the-art equipment, and world-class medication that combined to get him back on the road to recovery.

“I run a lot of races just for the challenge of the race, but being accepted onto the British Heart Foundation London Marathon team is a privilege and an opportunity to give something back.

“This isn’t a great time to ask for donations; no-one is having an easy time of it financially right now – if you are finding it tough, please take care of yourself and look after your own situation.

“If you can afford to spare a few quid towards this, Steve and I appreciate it so much, thank you. The BHF can only continue to keep funding life-changing research with support from people like you.

“Every donation you make help funds scientific breakthroughs that can save and improve the lives of millions suffering from heart and circulatory diseases.”

Speaking to HTFP, she said: “Training-wise, it’s going well although the weather and the dark nights have had me questioning my sanity at times.

“In terms of fundraising, people have been so generous. We’re in a cost-of-living crisis but still there is such amazing support.

“There was a bit of a nightmare when someone posted a large sum by cheque and my puppy got to it before I did and reduced it to tiny shreds of paper.

“Luckily they saw the funny side and sent me a new one.”

To donate to Alison’s cause, click here.