A DEVOTED son’s mission to remember his mum by running 47 10k runs in a row has raised over £5,000 as it reaches its half way mark.

Craig Potter who is undertaking the epic challenge in memory of his mum, Theresa, says he may be in constant pain and feels exhausted but he is determined to keep going until he reaches May 9 which would have been her birthday.

And the 37-year-old dad-of-two relies on his father, Dougie, who has been helping at every run, taking pictures and even getting on his bike to help Craig complete the challenge.

Former junior footballer Craig has been joined by a host of his old teammates including Gareth Turner, Barry Fleeting, Ian Cashmore and even Herald reporter Lorraine Howard. One of his fastest 10k runs was with Rangers Girls team player Eilidh Martin who helped him get round a sand course in just 47 minutes.

“This would be a million times harder if I didn’t have the support of the people who have reached out to run alongside me,” said Craig.

“It’s been a chance to catch up with some old teammates and friends I haven’t seen for a while and that has helped as I feel sore a lot and it takes a while in the mornings for my legs to wake up but we have to keep going.

“Some days I have a heavy heart and I miss my mum but I remind myself I’m running 10k for 47 days in a row to raise awareness of the fact that 47 people a day in Scotland are dying of cardiovascular disease.”

The aim of the challenge is to raise money to fund two research funds in her memory. One of the research studies will look at the way women are affected by heart disease and the second research fund will look at statistics that show you are three times more likely to suffer a heart attack in Scotland than you are in London.

You can support Craig’s challenge at www.justgiving.com/fundraising/craig-potter12