Drag queen: 'I'll be bringing joy on marathon day'
BBC"I hope it brings joy to people on marathon day to see someone in full drag."
On 26 April, drag queen Kitty Scott-Claus will take on the London Marathon for the second time, where she will be running for Alzheimer's Research UK following her grandmother's death from an Alzheimer's-related illness last year.
She is planning to run the 26.2 mile route in a full costume and wig - but no heels as, in her words, "I'm not a crazy person".
The drag queen said her grandmother Beryl would be so proud, and she hopes to raise awareness and money for the Alzheimer's charity - as well as spread some joy.
'She was my number one'
Kitty appeared on season three of Ru Paul's Drag Race UK, becoming a fan favourite for her showstopping outfits, quick one-liners and impression of Gemma Collins.
She said: "My grandma was my biggest cheerleader… to get to do this for her and to raise awareness and to help find a cure is just the most incredible feeling.
"From day dot, she was always there allowing me to be myself, to express myself."
The drag queen described how losing Beryl to Alzheimer's meant she had to watch a loved one slowly lose who they were.
"Every time you see them it's like you're losing a part of them again and again," she said.
Alzheimer's is a disease in the brain which causes cognitive decline and can eventually lead to dementia.
About two in 100 people aged 65 to 69 have dementia, according to Alzheimer's Research UK. This figure rises to 19 in 100 for those aged 85 to 89.
Kitty ran the marathon last year in memory of the late drag queen The Vivienne, who died in 2025 from cardiac arrest caused by the effects of taking the drug ketamine.
Alongside Jeremy Joseph, owner of the UK's G-A-Y nightclubs, she ran for several charities then, including Pancreatic Cancer UK and LGBTQ+ charity Switchboard.
Kitty said: "I'm very much like Tinkerbell, I like the applause or I'm going to die and so the marathon is the best day for me because it's just people clapping for 26 miles continuously… I'm like, I could do it again. I could do a victory lap!"
If her grandmother was there at the end, she joked, she would want the medal for herself.
"I know she'd want to be there with me," she said.
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