WEST FIFE mum Nicole Drummond is taking to the streets of Edinburgh this weekend to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support.

Nicole, 41, of Hillend, is running her first ever marathon in memory of her aunt Teresa Thompson, who died of ovarian cancer at the age of 18.

Mum to Claudia, 20, and nine-year-old Kaela, Nicole said the death of her aunt happened when she was 14 and affected her deeply.

“I am 41 this year and not a day goes by that she is not remembered for the vivid, beautiful, funny and extraordinary human being that she was,” she said.

“She left a huge hole in the lives and hearts of everyone who had the pleasure of knowing her.”

Nicole has previously completed half-marathons and 10k events but this is the longest distance she has tackled.

“A lot of extra training has gone in and I am even undergoing some intensive beach training with a personal trainer at boot camp sessions,” she explained.

“I am not a super-fit person but I do enjoy running and love being in the outdoors in the fresh air.”

Despite the huge feat she is about to undertake, Nicole is modest about her efforts.

“I do not see myself as a hero as some of my friends say,” she said.

“I am just a mum, a woman and a person who has experienced loss and seen what cancer can do.”

Big-hearted Dunfermline man Hanna Akel is also taking part in the event this weekend to raise money for Macmillan.

Research lab technician Hanna will run his first ever marathon on Sunday with his brother Sama’an in memory of Sama’an’s mother-in-law, who died from lung cancer three years ago.