NEILSTON mum Caroline Morrison is the perfect role model for our year-long Active 2014 campaign.

She has competed in 5ks, 10ks, a half marathon and has now set her sights on the Paris Marathon next spring.

The 40-year-old has no aspirations to be an elite athlete - she just puts one foot in front of the other and has achieved her goals, raising thousands of pounds for charity along the way by running and walking the race routes.

It all started three years ago when she got together with a group of 20 friends, calling themselves the Moaning Minnies and donning Minnie Mouse ears, to do the Run for Life 5K for raise money for Cancer Research.

Then her six-year-old son Dominic was diagnosed with autism, so she and her friends got together to run the women's 10K in Glasgow for Scottish Autism.

"There were some runners among us and one of my friends did it in about 50 minutes, but my mum and one of my friends walked it and finished in about two hours, rattling collecting cans along the way," she remembers.

With her partner Paul Anderson, Caroline finished the Great North Run this year.

"It's a half marathon so again it was run a bit, walk a bit the whole way round," says Caroline, who works as a quantity surveyor.

"We did it in three hours 13 minutes - and 17,000 finished after us - so I can take something from that."

After the Great Scottish Run 10K in Glasgow earlier this month, the couple have now started training for next April's Paris Marathon.

"We registered for it back in May and entered a ballot and unfortunately got places in it," she laughs. "Again it will be part run, part walk, but we know we have to seriously train for it."

A friend who planned to do the marathon has had to pull out due to injury so now Paul's niece Jaye Coubrough hopes to take her place.

To prepare for Paris, Caroline and Paul have been taking part in free weekend 5K Park Runs at Pollok Park and Eglinton Country Park, Irvine as well as two-mile Great Local Runs along the Clydeside.

"We are trying to train on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays," says Caroline.

"At the moment the most I'm doing is 8k and again it's walking and running. We have a good route from Barrhead, past Dykebar hospital and along to the Hurlet and back.

"I have downloaded a training plan that it tells us what distances we should be doing."

She adds: "I run until I get tired, then I walk. I'm asthmatic so I have to be careful, but it's mind over matter."

Races along the way before Paris will keep the competitive spirit going, including the University of Glasgow Hares and Hounds five-mile road race at the end of November and the Alloa half marathon in March.

As well as pounding the pavement, Caroline's training programme includes gym work with spin classes and workouts with a personal trainer.

She has also been making use of free classes and nutrition advice at Evolve Fitness in Paisley.

"Some running groups are free - a wee bit of effort from you and they're willing to give up their time to help," says Caroline.

"I'm definitely much fitter than when I started, but I do need to lose weight. I can exercise till the cows come home and then I can't control my eating so that's my biggest target: to eat correctly, eat a lot, but the right things."

Over the years Caroline, her partner Paul and their friends have raised nearly £10,000 for charity.

To sponsor their run in Paris, visit www.justgiving.com/doingit4dom.

angela.mcmanus @eveningtimes.co.uk