Jack Ovington from Gateshead is a keen runner who has completed marathons in Manchester and Girona. But when he takes part in the Edinburgh Marathon later this month, it will be particularly special. He’s aiming both to complete the course in under two hours 45 minutes and raise £700 for the British Liver Trust, a charity which means a lot to him.
“Late last year my amazing mam, Lisa, passed away after a devastating battle with liver disease, a condition that’s severity was completely unknown to me until it affected my family,” says Jack a 28-year-old IT operations lead.
“My mam was an amazing woman; she was so friendly and enthusiastic and loved to be a bit daft. She always tried to be positive even when she was going through such a tough time and I think that’s a great testament to the person she was. She first became ill in late 2024 and was then hospitalised in February last year, when she was told she had cirrhosis due to alcohol related liver disease. During this time, we were called into the hospital in the middle of the night as they thought she wouldn’t make it. But she miraculously pulled through and was managing for some months before she was then hospitalised again in November, when sadly the disease was too much for her and she passed away.
“We’ve since learned more about the British Liver Trust and how the charity supports liver disease sufferers and their families, so running a marathon to raise funds just feels like the right thing to do.
“I’m passionate about running and my mam was always my biggest supporter and used to love hearing about my training. She’d always embarrass me talking to her friends being extremely biased, as any mother would, making me sound better than I was! I saw this as a good opportunity to raise some money for a cause important to her while doing something she’d be proud of.
“Training is going okay, so if I can get round in the time that I want and hit my fundraising target I’ll really feel like I have done her proud.”
Dan Painter Public Fundraising Manager at British Liver Trust commented: “As a charity, we are leading the fight against liver disease and liver cancer. We reach over two million people each year; providing information and support to patients and families and providing vital advice to help people improve their liver health. But there is still so much to be done. Liver disease is the only major disease in the UK where death rates are rising, and we want to change that. We’re so grateful that Jack is taking on the Edinburgh Marathon to raise funds – what a wonderful tribute to Lisa – and we wish him all the best for hitting his target time!”
Jack will be running the Edinburgh Marathon on May 24. You can support him here Jack Ovington is fundraising for British Liver Trust
