Wirral army officer ran London Marathon in memory of dad who died of diabetes

May 9 2012 by Linda Foo Guest, Heswall News

A WIRRAL army officer ran the London Marathon after his dad inspired him to raise money to battle diabetes.

Captain Gregg McLeod, of West Kirby, took on the 26-mile challenge for his dad Barry McLeod, a former Merseyside police officer who died of type 2 diabetes.

Barry, who served 32 years with the force, was diagnosed with the condition in 1998.

In 2009 he had a leg amputated as a result of his diabetes and lost his other leg a year later.

Barry died from diabetes complications at the age of 64.

Money raised from Gregg’s marathon run will go to Diabetes UK.

Gregg said: “Running the London Marathon for me was all about raising awareness of the seriousness of diabetes.

“I had no idea until my dad was diagnosed that it was life-threatening.

“I genuinely do not think most people realise how dangerous diabetes is. I want to raise awareness one step at a time and to show people the benefits of a healthy lifestyle.”

The team of 170 Diabetes UK runners is expected to raise £250,000 when all the sponsorship money has been collected.

Type 2 diabetes develops when the body can still make some insulin but not enough, or when the insulin it produces does not work properly.

In most cases the condition is linked to being overweight.

Diabetes UK North West fundraising manager Kate McKie added: “On behalf of everyone at Diabetes UK I would like to thank Gregg for choosing to support us.

“The money he has raised will go a long way in helping us continue to support the nearly 16,200 people diagnosed with diabetes in the Wirral region and help us find the estimated 4,500 people in the area who are unaware they have Type 2 diabetes, as well as fund research into finding a cure.”