THE finish line is in sight for family members of a much-missed Haddington church minister who have covered more than 100 kilometres in her memory.

Nine family members of the Rev Jennifer Macrae – known as Team Jenny – have been taking on a series of gruelling challenges across Scotland and Northern Ireland.

The runners – Jennifer’s sister Susan Gibson, along with the late minister’s daughters Laura Burgess and Elaine Macrae, nieces Clare Furze and Kara Wallace, and granddaughters Ciara Burgess and Isla Burgess, as well as Laura’s husband Barry and Kara’s husband Duncan – have been raising funds throughout the summer in aid of Edinburgh Maggie’s Centre.

Jennifer died on March 2, aged 63, having been minister of St Mary’s Parish Church for more than a decade.

Only three more events remain, with the family’s initial target of £1,000 smashed as nearly £7,000 has been raised.

Susan, who takes on the Scottish 10k – which starts and finishes in Musselburgh on Sunday – alongside Duncan, said: “We are completely blown away by the generosity we have come across. It has been a really positive thing for us.

“You just think the whole thing was completely ghastly and if something good can come out of it then that has got to be good.

“It is what Jennifer wanted and I think she would be chuffed to bits about the money we have raised.”

Also this weekend, Barry takes on the Belfast City Half Marathon.

The challenge ends in Glasgow next Sunday (September 30) when Elaine and Susan line up for the Great Scottish Run Half Marathon.

Susan, 61, thought that Sunday’s East Lothian run, which stretches from Musselburgh to Cockenzie and back, would be memorable.

She said: “It will be the only one on Jennifer’s turf.

“I think that will be a wee bit special.”

Already the family have completed three events, with Elaine, 33, running the Baker Hughes 10k in Aberdeen in May. Then Elaine lined up alongside Clare, 32, Kara, 29, Duncan, 28, and Susan for the Run the Blades event at Whitelee Wind Farm, near Eaglesham, in July.

The youngest members of the squad did their bit at the parkrun in Portrush, Northern Ireland, with Susan joined by Laura, 37, eight-year-old Isla, 14-year-old Ciara and Elaine.

Susan said: “I think we have all found it emotional – just when you are standing on the start line waiting and we have had the odd laugh on the way round when something has happened.

“In Aberdeen we thought it was going to pour with rain and the forecast was dreadful. It rained a bit and then went off and we said it was Jennifer sorting that out for us.”

Now the runners are in the home straight and each of them has been overwhelmed by the generosity of members of the public.

Initially a fundraising target of £1,000 was set before that was increased to £3,000, but both figures have been smashed.

Susan added: “I think the challenge itself was original and caught people’s imagination but the total is not because of us.

“It is a reflection of what Jennifer was to so many people.”

For more about the challenge or to make a donation, go to justgiving.com/fundraising/2018teamjenny