Caley to Castle Crusade
Caley to Castle Crusade
Gregor and the Caley-Castle Crusade team ran and cycled in 5 challenges in a single year.
Method of fundraising
Completing five physical challenges in a single yearWhy did you decide to fundraise?
When my dad was diagnosed with MND, I decided that I had to do something. I had never even heard of MND, but I soon found out more and discovered how horrific it is. Doddie Weir had recently revealed that he was suffering from the disease and my dad said ‘he’s 30 years younger than me, I got to see you grow up and meet my grandkids, but he’s never going to have that experience’.
My dad passed away from MND two years after he was diagnosed and his memory inspires me, but I’ve been inspired by others too. I met a man called Steve who has MND and he came to support me at my 100-mile challenge. When I saw him again, at the end of the 165-mile crusade I just welled up. We’ve kept in contact. I just can’t do enough to help him and
others. I’d never really done much running, I was more into team sports, but I wanted to do something that would be a challenge. A lot of people do marathons, but I felt I could push it to the next level. That’s where the idea of the five challenges came from.
My dad passed away from MND two years after he was diagnosed and his memory inspires me, but I’ve been inspired by others too. I met a man called Steve who has MND and he came to support me at my 100-mile challenge. When I saw him again, at the end of the 165-mile crusade I just welled up. We’ve kept in contact. I just can’t do enough to help him and
others. I’d never really done much running, I was more into team sports, but I wanted to do something that would be a challenge. A lot of people do marathons, but I felt I could push it to the next level. That’s where the idea of the five challenges came from.
How did you raise the money?
I got the idea to go a bit crazy and try to do five challenges in a single year. Those were the Inverness Half Marathon, the Manchester Marathon, running from Glasgow to Edinburgh, and running 100 miles in 24 hours at the Stirling University track. That last one was particularly tricky as it ended up being on the hottest day of the year. Those were all a build-up to the big one though - running from Inverness Caley Thistle’s Caledonian Stadium to Tynecastle Stadium, going 165 miles in 48 hours!
Fundraising wisdom:
Do it, just do it!
You’ve got to give back and help others, as you don’t know what your help might do. That’s the way I look at it. When I was in the middle of my run, I had some really dark times. At 4am, coming down in pouring rain from Inverness, I wanted to stop at every step. I knew that people with MND don’t have that option. They have pain every day and so anything I’m feeling will go away in a few days, but theirs won’t ever end. That’s what kept me going, they can’t give up and so neither will I.
You’ve got to give back and help others, as you don’t know what your help might do. That’s the way I look at it. When I was in the middle of my run, I had some really dark times. At 4am, coming down in pouring rain from Inverness, I wanted to stop at every step. I knew that people with MND don’t have that option. They have pain every day and so anything I’m feeling will go away in a few days, but theirs won’t ever end. That’s what kept me going, they can’t give up and so neither will I.
