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Mary Scott is living proof that it’s never too late to realise those long-held and seemingly unreachable dreams. Since the age of 20, Mary Scott had dreamed of completing a Boston Marathon. An avid believer in goal setting and the power of mind mapping, she continued to include it as a goal year after year. However, in March 2008, at the age of 53 and weighing 90 kilos, she realised that including the picture of the running shoes on the vision board was not enough. She knew it was now or never; she either needed to start running or let it go.
And so it began, in the dark and early hours of the morning, Mary Scott started running. Mary admits that she was naive at first; soon realising that after 20 years with little to no exercise, it was going to be somewhat harder than she had anticipated. Never one to step back from a challenge, Mary decided to enlist help and approached a local personal trainer to teach her how to run.
When asked where she found such determination, Mary says that she has always been entrepreneurial, learning early in life that if you want something you have to work for it. She recalls the time when as a little girl, she wanted a pair of Speedos. Her father told her that if she wanted the swimmers she would have to get a job to pay for them. So Mary, resolute, started doing the 5am morning paper run. This was just the beginning and by the tender age of 10, she had built her own chimney sweeping business, following the offer of a schilling to sweep the neighbour’s chimney.
With less than two years at the sport, Mary has now completed two Melbourne Half Marathons as well as the Rotorua Marathon in New Zealand. She recalls the first time she tried on a compression suit, designed to promote good circulation and provide support whilst running. She found herself only half way into the figure hugging garment when she was besieged by a hot flush, breaking out into an uncontrollable sweat. Standing in the change room she wondered how she was ever going to get into the suit, let alone run in it. Mary can be seen in her compression suit (pictured) competing in the Melbourne half Marathon in October this year.
Now after 20 years as a nurse, Mary is turning her drive and determination towards not only reaching her goal to run the Boston Marathon, but also using it as an opportunity to raise $1Million to support those she calls the ‘forgotten people’, the carers of those suffering with Alzheimer’s. Mary aims to reach this target in time for the April 2010 Boston Marathon in which has been given a wild card entry.
If you would like to support Mary in her effort to raise money for the carers of people suffering with Alzheimer’s you can make a donation at www.everydayhero.com.au/mary_scott_2.
Mary also has a blog www.runmary.blogspot.com where she details her journey towards Boston.
Plus look out for Mary in the upcoming weeks at AWO Connect.