An RAF veteran from Elgin is aiming to complete the North Coast 500 in just four days in memory of his father who battled motor neurone disease.
David Scott, 38, a former RAF weapons technician and airman who served in Iraq and Afghanistan began the gruelling 500-mile journey yesterday with his friends and fellow former air force servicemen Al Johnstone, 33 and Stef Elertowicz, 36; in a bid to raise thousands of pounds for the Doddie Weir Foundation.
Mr Scott said his family were overwhelmed to have received support from the Scottish Rugby legend Doddie Weir Foundation after his father Richard lost his two year battle with MND in October.
Mr Scott said: “When my dad passed away, the Doddie Weir Foundation reached out to us and left a cheque to help cover the funeral costs. We’re from Jedburgh and are part of the tight-knit Borders rugby community.
“It was totally out of the blue, completely unexpected and a very generous offer of support at a difficult time. We want to repay that incredible outreach of kindness, and hope that the money we raise can be used to help Doddie, his family, and others whose lives have been affected by MND. It’s something my father would have wanted to do.”
The trio will travel 130 miles per day to raise more than £2,000 for the charity; having already surpassed their initial £1,500 target.
Mr Scott says preparing for the challenge has been gruelling and tougher than anything he has faced in the past but says failure is not an option.
He said: “Training has been tough – I live in Elgin and spend a lot of time in the car commuting to Aberdeen for work. I have had a turbo trainer in the garage over the winter, to ensure I could keep building the miles when the weather has been bad.
“Cycling together is going to be a great change, there will be a lot of banter, and we all know there’s no option for failure – we’re doing it. In fact, if we have to walk around it we’re getting the distance done.
“That’s putting the fear into us a little bit, but we just have to get ourselves through it. I keep comparing it to the battle with MND. This is nothing in comparison, so we’ll make it happen.”
