A STIRLING University student has begun his mammoth challenge – running 30 marathons in 30 days – in memory of his best friend and cycling companion.
Mark McGuire, a British cyclist from Perth, began this colossal journey on the 1st June, to raise money and awareness for the Cardiac Risk in the Young charity.
The charity was chosen by Mark in memory of his best friend and British cycling companion, Ben Forsyth, who was diagnosed with Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy (ARVC), a heart condition that ultimately led to his passing in 2018.
Ben’s journey inspired Mark who described him as “an inspiration to us all on how to deal with bad situations” and “not only a fantastically-talented cyclist but a fantastic all-round guy”.
Currently 17 days in and over 420 miles down (equal to the distance from Edinburgh to London), Mark has already raised around £10,000 for this worthy cause.
The money raised by Mark’s challenge will allow young adults and athletes to get screened for heart conditions they may not know they have. This screening process is crucial in terms of identifying and understanding cardiac risk in the young.
Support has come from far and wide from family and old school friends to athletes Mark and Ben used to race with on the cycling circuit. Some have even been running and riding bikes alongside Mark to keep morale high and help him with the basic necessities like food and hydration.
One of Mark’s school friends, Olympic swimmer and current British record holder, Duncan Scott, even joined Mark during his second week of marathons to help support him.
Mark has been overwhelmed by the support he has received so far and his goal for the challenge is to raise awareness about cardiac risk in young adults. He hopes to spread the word of the work that CRY are doing throughout the length and breadth of the county, but most importantly to remember Ben who was such a good friend.
If you would like to donate to Mark’s cause, you can access his ‘Just Giving’ page at: https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-display/showROFundraiserPage?userUrl=MarkMcGuire9&pageUrl=1
MEDIA RELEASE issued by GRM. You too can share your stories (aka press or media releases), on this site. Email here for more information.
Check out twitter.com/scotsbulletin for your very own media releases feed…
Check out too twitter.com/allCharitiesPR.
Stay connected with our various twitter feeds: Charities, Drink, Education, Energy, Fashion, Film, Food, Gardens, Legal, Motors, Music, Outdoors, Property, Science and Sports. And not forgetting Finance, Theatre, Travel, Festivals, Visual Arts, Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness, Perth and Stirling.
GRM contact details…
Contact: Laura Murphy
Phone: 07415088191
Email: laura-murphy95@hotmail.com
Website: https://www.viasponsorship.scot/
