Two Aberdeen men have taken on Scotland’s gruelling obstacle course to support those suffering with debilitating migraines.
Conner Ladley and Graham Montgomery from Peterculter completed the punishing 10K Beast Race, to raise money in support of the Migraine Trust.
Migraine is a severe and painful long-term health condition affecting 10 million in the UK and is ranked as the third biggest cause of years lived with a disability.
The pair trudged through icy water and thick mud to overcome huge obstacles in the beastly obstacle course to raise vital funds for the cause.
Living with chronic migraines
Mr Ladley, a 23-year-old photography student knows first-hand the serious impact that this often misunderstood condition can have on a person’s life.
He lives with chronic migraine, which results in him having 15 or more headache days each month, with at least eight of those being migraine attacks.
The student believed the trust hold the key to finding a cure for millions of migraine sufferers across the country.
He said: “Myself and Graham decided to take part in the Beast Race to raise funds for The Migraine Trust as I have suffered from chronic migraines since my early teenage years and I believe that The Migraine trust can one day help find the cure for Migraine.
“It took numerous appointments and a number of years until I was diagnosed with chronic migraines.
“I have been on several preventative medications, however after around six to 12 months the preventative stops working and I need to go to the neurologist to try new medication.
“Although I can often be in pain, I try to not allow my condition to affect me although sometimes it is hard, I try to remain positive. However, I know there are people who are worse off.”
The 23-year-old thanked everyone for their support.
“The beast race was an incredible experience and I am grateful for everyone who has sponsored myself and Graham to do it.
“Living with migraine I appreciate all the hard work that The Migraine Trust undertakes to make living with migraine more manageable and knowing that there is someone there that can help.”
Mr Montgomery added: “We did this to raise money for Conner as he suffers from chronic migraines.
“Even though I had improved my fitness I knew this would be a big challenge for me, for me it wasn’t about a good time, it was about finishing and proving to myself I could do it and help raise funds for The Migraine Trust.”
How do you know if you have a migraine?
People with the condition have migraine attacks, which can be a whole body experience.
Symptoms can include severe head pain, problems with your sight such as seeing flashing lights, being very sensitive to light, sounds and smells, fatigue, feeling sick and being sick.
Different people get different symptoms. When you have a migraine attack, you may not be able to function normally, impacting on all aspects of life including work and relationships.
Migraine attacks usually last for between four hours and three days. Some symptoms may start about 24 hours before you get head pain, and end about 24 hours after you stop having head pain.
Most people don’t have any symptoms in between migraine attacks.
Rob Music, chief executive of The Migraine Trust, congratulated the pair on their achievements.
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He said: “We are in awe and so grateful to Conner and Graham for taking on the immense challenge of the Beast Race to help people affected by migraine. Conner knows himself just how debilitating migraine can be and he’s a true inspiration for helping others with the condition.
“Not only have Conner and Graham raised crucial funds that will help support our vital work and those affected by migraine, they’ve also raised awareness of this often misunderstood brain disease. We thank them for their support and hope they are having a good rest.”