Sam Wilkie

I'm fundraising for my Dad.

Thanks for visiting my fundraising page for the London Marathon.

Over 10 million people in the UK live with arthritis, affecting their ability to work, study, care for their families, move without pain and live independently. Yet arthritis remains widely misunderstood and far too little is done to support those affected. That’s why Arthritis UK funds life-changing research, supports people living with arthritis and campaigns for change. The charity won’t rest until everyone with arthritis has access to the treatments and support they need to live the life they choose, with real hope of a cure in the future.

On 27th May 2026, I lost my dad after his long battle with cancer. Throughout my life, he was my biggest inspiration, greatest advocate and my best friend.

He gave everything he had to the people around him. Whether it was supporting his family, being there for a friend who needed him or dedicating himself to research that could improve people’s lives, he always gave 100%. He wanted to leave the world a little better than he found it, and I don’t think anyone who knew him would say he failed. No matter what was happening in his own life, he always found time for others.

Some of my happiest memories are the ones we shared through sport. We travelled together to watch his childhood club, Kilmarnock FC, and our local team, Everton FC. Rugby became another lifelong passion, and one of my proudest achievements was having the opportunity to coach the Scottish Qualified rugby team alongside him. Sport gave us some of our greatest memories together.

One memory has stayed with me more than any other. As a young child, I travelled to London with my family to support my dad as he ran the London Marathon. I remember standing in the blistering heat in St James’s Park, eagerly waiting to see him come through before crossing the finish line. Afterwards, we made our way to a conference centre where he was welcomed with a huge round of applause from the Arthritis UK team. I don’t think I fully understood what he had achieved that day, but I knew I wanted to follow in his footsteps and one day run the London Marathon myself.

My dad loved research because he believed it could make people’s lives better. Much of his work focused on arthritis, and over the years he became internationally recognised for it, including receiving an award for identifying ways to reduce premature death in older people living with osteoarthritis. Even while living with terminal cancer, he never stopped thinking about how he could continue helping other people. That was simply who he was.

It is an incredible honour to have been offered a charity place in the London Marathon for Arthritis UK, a charity that meant so much to my dad and one whose mission reflected everything he believed in.

Running this marathon is about far more than crossing the finish line. It’s about honouring the man who shaped my life, supporting a cause he dedicated so much of his career to and keeping a promise I made to him years ago—that one day I’d follow in his footsteps and run the London Marathon myself.

If you’re able to support me, no matter how big or small the donation, it would mean more to me than I can put into words. Every contribution will help fund vital research, improve the lives of people living with arthritis and, in its own way, continue the legacy of someone who spent his life trying to leave the world a little better than he found it.

Thank you so much for your support.