Angus ‘supergran’ Mairi Morrison has hit her target of walking, cycling and running 650 miles in the lead-up to her 65th birthday – with a couple of weeks to spare.
Along the way Mairi bagged 17 Munros and joined another big birthday bash for one of Scotland’s iconic structures.
And she has breezed past a pound-a-mile £650 target to raise more than £1,600 for bereavement support charity Cruse Scotland.
So it means the Carnoustie grandmother can put her feet up and enjoy her big day on November 18.
Mairi wanted to do something different to celebrate her milestone birthday.
Instead of receiving gifts, she decided to use the occasion to raise funds for Cruse Scotland.
The charity provides free bereavement support to children, young people and adults struggling to cope with grief.
Forth Road Bridge run
Mairi ran the final three miles of her 650-mile challenge at the Supernova Forth Road Bridge night-time race last weekend.
5,000 runners took part in the special event to celebrate the iconic landmark’s 60th anniversary.
Mairi said the entire challenge has been a “great motivator” in the run up to her 65th birthday.
“I am so delighted to have achieved the 650 miles a few weeks earlier than planned,” she said.
“My challenge has taken me to many parts of Scotland; from my home in Carnoustie to Kirkwall, St Andrews to Skye and Dundee to Dalwhinnie.”
The challenge saw Mairi walk 231 miles, cycle 237 miles, run 15 miles and hillwalk 189 miles.
One of her proudest achievements is bagging 17 new Munros since June.
“Climbing six of the Skye Cuillin mountains was tough,” she added.
“Roped up for steep scrambles along the ridge with its vertiginous drops really tested my resolve.”
Family fun at Dundee Kiltwalk
But there were also some opportunities for family fun in the mix too.
Mairi was joined by her daughter, Nicola, and grandson, Maxwell at Dundee Kiltwalk’s Wee Wander in August.
She said it created special memories as they ticked off the miles together.
Thanks to the generosity of friends and family, Mairi smashed her initial fundraising target within weeks.
Mairi added: “My original target was £650.
“It feels amazing to have raised over £1,650, which will be used by Cruse Scotland to train a new specialist in providing vital support to bereaved children and young people.
“It costs around £1,200 to do that and each additional £50 covers the costs of a one-to-one counselling session for a child shattered by the death of a loved one.”
Cruse Scotland is a nationwide charity that offers free bereavement services, no matter how recent or long ago the death occurred, or the relationship to the deceased.
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