Only way is up for team

Published 8 Jul 2010 09:49 0 Comments

Share this

A RENFREW man braved a 54-mile trek across some of Scotland's most demanding landscapes to raise cash for his country.

Alasdair Carlyle took part in the huge physical endeavour - the equivalent of a double marathon and two ascents of Ben Nevis - to raise funds for the Scottish Community Foundation.

He and the other members of Team Amy Reid trained for months for the trek and raised £4,500 to support projects in some of Scotland's most isolated communities.

The team was named after the daughter of one of its members, six-year-old Amy Reid, who is fighting leukaemia.

Alasdair, 41, told the Gazette that Amy's father is a good friend of his from college, and the whole team had been friends for some time.

He said: "Completing 54 miles in 24 hours has been the greatest physical achievement of my life.

"It's taken determination, dedication and commitment. The result has been an amazing sense of achievement which will stay with me forever.

"It was very, very tough. The hardest part was just keeping going over that long period of time.

"It was difficult walking, difficult conditions underfoot - but it was actually the duration that was the hardest bit.

"We hardly had any rest. There were four checkpoints and at each one you got a chance to rest and eat but only for about half an hour.

"The highlight was certainly finishing the complete event - especially after realising how many people had not managed to finish it."

He added: "I'm delighted with the amount we raised. We had very generous donations from everyone."

Alasdair has even more reason to celebrate as he is recently married - his wedding was last Friday.

The Tennents Caledonian Challenge led over 900 participants from Gairlochy through the Great Glen and West Highland Way to Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park in just 24 hours to generate £1 million.

John Mercer, Scottish Community Foundation event director, said: "We're incredibly proud of all the Tennents Caledonian Challenge 2010 teams for working together to take on this huge physical achievement.

"It has been an amazing weekend which would not be possible without the dedication of the people who take part, their support teams and the fundraising generosity of their family, friends and colleagues."

This article appeared in The Gazette 07 Jul 10

Follow @thegazettepaper

Return to the main index, get more from this section or browse our News archives.