For Jackie McLaren, the Bank of Scotland Great Scottish Run is a favorite event, but this year was an extra special experience.

Jackie was chosen to be the Inverclyde representative for the Bank of Scotland Community Challenge, choosing to run the event in memory of her friend and colleague Wilma Bain, who died earlier this year from cancer.

This year is Jackie’s fifth time completing the run, and she was delighted with how she fared on the day.

"It went very well indeed! I was so surprised by the energy I had!" she said.

“I really enjoyed being a part of the Community Challenge, it was actually quite exciting.

“It was an inspiring experience and meant I pushed a bit harder than I would normally have!”

Blighted by knee injuries, Jackie wasn’t able to run for about a year or so, so completing the 10k route in an impressive 1 hour 9 minutes was no mean feat.

She explains that much of her enjoyment was down to the fantastic crowds the event draws each year, which were particularly large this time around.

“It’s such a good route because it’s right through the centre of Glasgow, and one of the best things about Glasgow is the support,” she said.

“The streets were lined. The whole route was just lined with people, clapping me on!

“The thing is, when you’re exhausted and you want to stop there are people around you saying ‘well done’ and you just can’t stop! You have to keep going.”

The campaign aimed to recruit one runner from each of the 32 local authorities in Scotland to take on a ‘10 week to 10k’ running challenge, with each receiving a personalised training programme by an expert coach in the weeks leading up to the run, which took place on Sunday 30 September.

But Jackie wasn’t running alone, having galvanised her colleagues to join her in running the Great Scottish Run in Wilma’s memory.

“When I has suggested this, I had expected about five of us who were already runners from work.

“I managed to talk 39 of my colleagues into running it as well. More than half want to do it again, they’ve been on the phone and emailing me all this week since finishing.”

The group of 40 used the event to raise money for St Vincent’s Hospice, who cared for Wilma in her final weeks.

The team have raised a staggering £5,000 already, with more donations expected over the coming weeks from further pledges.

“My target was £500 at first. I thought we might exceed it a bit, but I was never expecting this,” she added.

“It costs £6,000 a day to run the hospice, so this is a great amount for them.”

Jackie was quick to add that she will be taking part again next year, as she hopes to relive the fabulous experience she had in 2018.

Bank of Scotland is celebrating its 10th year as partner of the Great Scottish Run. Entries for the 2019 Bank of Scotland Great Scottish Run are now open at www.greatscottishrun.com