Boston Marathon 2024

Posted on 8 April 2024 in Latest News

Help Stewart raise money for the Gaelic Books Council

Stewart Hawthorn is going to be running the Boston Marathon on 15 April 2024, and raising money for the Gaelic Books Council in the process. We are so grateful to Stewart for such a generous gesture, and we wish him the best of luck for in achieving his target time of 3 hours and 15 minutes.

You can support Stewart, and us, through his GoFundMe page Fundraiser by Stewart Hawthorn : Boston Marathon 2024 – running for the Gaelic Books Council (gofundme.com) and learn more about why he has set himself this challenge.

Stewart returned to running in October 2021 and has successfully completed the Solway Coastal Marathon (May 2022: 3hrs 46mins), the Florence Marathon (November 2022: 3hrs 33mins) and the Edinburgh Marathon (May 2023: 3hrs 24mins). It was in Edinburgh that he secured a coveted ‘BQ’ (Boston Qualifying time) for his age group.

So why has he chosen to support the Gaelic Books Council? Well, Stewart has lived and worked in Papua New Guinea, Canada and Aotearoa New Zealand, and has seen the importance of local languages to the indigenous peoples in these countries. Like Scottish Gaelic, the languages of these countries are at risk and need support.

Stewart says, “When I first moved to Aotearoa New Zealand in 1997, Māori, the language of the first people of Aotearoa New Zealand, was rarely heard. But now, in 2024, it is more commonly spoken. Many Te reo Māori phrases are used by all New Zealanders in daily conversations.  The number of people fluent in speaking the language is increasing.  Indeed, Te reo Māori is considered a taonga, a treasure that needs protection. I hope that Gàidhlig/Scottish Gaelic can follow a similar path and become more widely accepted and spoken throughout the land.”

Stewart’s wife, Kerry, is learning Gàidhlig and has set up a weekly coffee morning in their hometown of Stirling for Gaelic speakers and learners. She has been studying at both Sabhal Mòr Ostaig and Ceòlas, and this has inspired Stewart to raise money to support the language. He hasn’t started his Gaelic language journey (yet) but will be using his legs to raise awareness and funds to support Gaelic language and Celtic culture.

We hope that you will support Stewart by donating through his GoFundMe page Fundraiser by Stewart Hawthorn : Boston Marathon 2024 – running for the Gaelic Books Council (gofundme.com). By doing so, you will be helping the Gaelic Books Council to support readers, writers and publishers of Gaelic literature. And you’ll be inspiring Stewart to go the extra mile and achieve his goal time in Boston.

From all of us here at the Gaelic Books Council, thank you so much, Stewart. And good luck in Boston!