A London-based neurosurgeon who operated on 13-year-old Evie Dove twice before she died of a brain tumour in March 2022 is running 100 miles through Scotland this July, in her memory.
Oscar MacCormac, Neurosurgical Registrar at King’s College Hospital, will take on the Rat Race 100 on 4-6th July 2026, running 162 kilometres from Bamburgh Castle to Edinburgh Castle, the equivalent of nearly four marathons, in one go. He is aiming to raise £2,000 for The Evie Dove Foundation, the charity set up in Evie’s honour to fund specialist training for NHS paediatric healthcare workers. To date it has supported more than 270 clinicians across the UK.
This is not Oscar’s first 100-mile race. Thirteen years ago, the distance left him hallucinating, vomiting and in severe pain. He swore he would never do it again. Thirteen years later, the age Evie was when she died, he’ll attempt this distance one more time.
Evie was diagnosed with a brain tumour in April 2021 and died in March 2022. During that time she was cared for across three hospitals: King’s College Hospital, the Royal Marsden and Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother Hospital in Margate. It was at King’s that Oscar was part of the team that cared for her.
“Being part of Evie’s care team at King’s was an honour,” said Oscar MacCormac, Neurosurgical Registrar at King’s College Hospital. “She was remarkable. Her kindness and ability to make everyone smile have stayed with me. I swore I’d never run 100 miles again, but if there’s one person who could get me onto the start line, it’s Evie. If this run can help even one more clinician access the training they need to support children like Evie, and families like the Doves, every step will be worth it.”
According to the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, 82% of paediatricians say there is insufficient staffing to meet the needs of children and young people. The General Medical Council’s own 2025 workplace report found that lack of support for training and development is a commonly cited reason doctors feel unable to progress in their careers, and those who cannot progress are more likely to leave the UK.
It is this gap, specifically in paediatric healthcare, that The Evie Dove Foundation was set up to address. It funds specialist training for NHS paediatricians so that sick children and their families can access the best possible care, and healthcare workers can progress in their careers. The Foundation supports paediatricians across a wide range of specialisms, from allergy specialists and physiotherapists to palliative care psychologists and asthma nurses.
“Throughout Evie’s treatment, we kept meeting the most remarkable and compassionate clinicians,” said Howard Dove, Evie’s Dad and Trustee of the Evie Dove Foundation. “People like Oscar, who was part of the team that fought for Evie when it mattered most. The fact that he is still fighting for her now, and for every child and family who comes after her, says everything about the kind of person he is. We’re beyond grateful for his support and are dedicated to keeping compassion and expertise at the heart of paediatric care in the UK.”
To support Oscar’s run and donate to the Evie Dove Foundation, visit: https://theeviedovefoundation.org/campaign/100-mile-162km-ultra-marathon/
