Leeds: Man's 165-mile run for MND in memory of wife

John Hamlin with his son Harry and daughter Millie after completing the fundraising challenge

A man who lost his wife to motor neurone disease (MND) has completed a run from Scotland to Leeds to mark what would have been her 50th birthday.

Susie Hamlin, a former senior dietician at Leeds Teaching Hospitals, died in 2018 at the age of 45.

Her widower John has run 165 miles from Melrose in Scotland to Headingley to raise money for MND charities.

He had raised more than £22,000 when he finished his challenge on Saturday afternoon.

Susie Hamlin died aged 45 after being diagnosed with MND

Mr Hamlin, 53, is a doctor at St James' Hospital in Leeds and has been fundraising for the Rob Burrow Centre for MND Appeal and the My Name'5 Doddie Foundation.

Both Leeds Rhinos legend Rob Burrow and ex-Scotland rugby star Doddie Weir have been diagnosed with MND.

Mr Hamlin said: "Every time I struggled [on the run] a little bit, I thought of Susie and the struggle she went through, the same as Doddie and Rob.

"What we were struggling with is nothing compared to the struggle of MND, so we really need to do something to research into the causes of it and try to ultimately find a cure."

John Hamlin has been fundraising for the Rob Burrow Centre for MND Appeal

He finished his run at Headingley Stadium surrounded by family and friends.

He said: "The support has been amazing, it just shows what Susie meant to everybody."