A Tayside team has endured physical and mental exhaustion through two former war-torn countries to raise more than £12,000 for charity.
The four friends from Angus and Dundee are just back from the challenge of a lifetime 7,000 miles from home, where they cycled more than 250 miles from Vietnam to Cambodia in 30C to raise the money for Marie Curie Cancer Care.
The cash generated by Petra McMillan, of Carnoustie, Brenda Hally of Monifieth and Jenni Samson and Josie Johnston, both of Broughty Ferry, will be used in the Dundee postcode area to directly “buy” 600 hours of care for individuals with a range of terminal diagnoses who want to spend their last days at home.
The women, who train together at David Lloyd in Monifieth, joined 43 other cyclists from the UK, who together will have raised almost £200,000 for Marie Curie UK.
Petra, a patron for the charity said: “The girls were just amazing. This is a tough challenge and each of us struggled at various points but we dug deep and pushed on.
“Knowing we had the support of so many people back home kept us going. It wasn’t straight riding, you were dodging potholes and tackling sandy, rubble-strewn trails a lot of the time.
“Though we all fell we were able to view our injuries as badges of honour.”
Cambodia remains one of the poorest countries in the world but Petra says far from being broken by the barbarism wreaked by Pol Pot and his regime 40 years ago, the Khmer people are a buoyant, happy race.
“Gaggles of children would run from their homes to greet us,” she said.
“You can’t help but smile when you see these happy little people jumping up and down, welcoming you. It was a humbling experience and it will stay with us forever.”
Petra, Brenda, Jenni and Josie are already back in training and have their sights set on a new adventure in 2017, planning to cycle from Costa Rica to Nicaragua in Central America.
More details are available via www.mariecurie.org.uk or email petramcmillan@sky.com.