2 May 2011

One for the girls at Maggie’s Monster Bike and Hike

A huge thank you to the 600 people who raised money for Maggie’s Cancer Caring Centres last weekend by tackling the 73 mile Monster Bike and Hike from Fort William to Inverness. Everyone was rewarded for their hard work with a stunning day of spring sunshine and glorious views the length and breadth of Loch Ness. This year’s event is on track to raise £500,000 for Maggie’s!

Elaine Whyte (pictured), from Fetterangus, was the fastest to finish the course with a blistering time of 9 hr 53 min. She is the first woman to ever come first at a WildFox Event! Not bad considering she was only drafted into the Peterhead Prison team (called ‘the Fishy Flyer and Two Sacks of Tatties) by her husband Eric at the last minute.

After cycling the first 30 miles of the course Elaine chose to run rather than walk the remaining 43 miles, stopping only for refreshments in the soaring temperatures. She ran so fast that she caught up with a group of men who had started the course over an hour earlier. “I think they were a bit miffed,” Elaine admitted.

Elaine puts her success down to sheer determination and her unswerving commitment to Maggie’s work to build a life after cancer. “Both Eric and my family have been touched by cancer in the last few years,” she said. “Maggie’s are planning to build a cancer caring centre in Aberdeen so the timing couldn’t be better.” Elaine and Eric have so far raised more than £1,000 between them for Maggie’s by taking part in the event.

Elaine was one of 323 participants who finished the full 73 mile gold course from Fort William to Inverness. A further 278 completed the shorter bronze and silver routes, finishing in Invermoriston and Drumnadrochit respectively. The fastest bronze finisher was Barry Dobbie (5 hr 26 min) and Murray Whyte came in first for silver (7 hr 50 min).

Elaine praised organisers WildFox Events for another successful Maggie’s Monster Bike and Hike. “Every turn in the route was well signposted or marshalled,” she commented. “I was really impressed.” The heat was the greatest concern for Event Commander David-Fox Pitt who set up two extra water and snack stops from his amazing Uni-Mog truck. Teams of medics from Matterhorn Medical and the Red Cross attended to the hot, the sore and the weary. During the night the Mountain Rescue escorted two walkers off the hill who got spooked in the dark. 

The Royal Wedding may have been a factor in numbers being down on last year, but the overall funds raised look set to match 2010. “We are on track to raise more than £500,000 from the event,” commented Maggie’s event manager Georgina Bushell. “This will cover the vital cost of 25,000 visits to Maggie’s centres across the UK.”

Maggie’s Monster Bike and Hike is one of six fundraising challenges being held by WildFox Events this summer. Over £20 million has been raised by WildFox’s Events for good causes to date. “Our whole focus is on supporting great charities such as Maggie’s,” commented David Fox-Pitt, Director of WildFox Events.

For participants Duncan Bury and Jane Buick ‘The Monster’ was just an opener in their world record bid to complete all six WildFox Events this summer. “Maggies Monster Bike and Hike was amazing,” commented Duncan.  The camaraderie and support was only superceded by the scenery, which was Scotland at its best. We completed the gold level in about 20 hours, finishing at 4:30am.”

WildFox events staff wish Duncan and Jane the best of luck over the next few months. “We currently do not have a support crew and rely on the good will of others including WildFox,” commented Duncan. “We are preparing ourselves for a great weekend at the Poppy Scotland Hearts and Heroes Challenge on the 14th of May.”