Sports students smash ‘500 Miles for 500 Pounds’ challenge

@BordersCollege HND and Developing Sport Year 2 students are celebrating a fantastic achievement, having just completed the ‘500 Miles for 500 Pounds’ challenge and raising £660 for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust.

The team of seven students took on the challenge of cycling, running, walking and rowing a combined 500 miles between them throughout Scotland, covering areas such as Caithness, Edinburgh and the Scottish Borders.

The fundraiser took place between May 5th – 19^th and students Skye Crawford from Dalkeith, Cameron Watt from Edinburgh, Lyndsay Paterek from Galashiels, Erin Green from Thurso, Dwain Patterson from Kelso, Kirsty Morris from Coldstream and Callum Garden from Hawick, all played their part in reaching the 500-mile goal and smashing their target of £500.

All the students completed their miles individually due to Covid restrictions, making it somewhat more challenging.

Erin commented on the challenge saying:

“We are so happy to have successfully completed what we set out to do. We walked, ran, cycled and rowed our way through rain, hail and some rare glimpses of sunshine, and we are incredibly thankful for the support and sponsorship from everyone!

“And whilst we can now put our feet up and rest, for those with Cystic Fibrosis, the challenges they face are still ongoing, therefore all donations for this vital trust are greatly appreciated.”

The Cystic Fibrosis Trust was the charity of choice, as Lyndsay Paterek, who took part in the challenge, has a 14-year-old son with the genetic condition. It affects more than 10,600 people in the UK and is a condition with which people are born with. As yet, there is sadly no cure.

Individually the students completed roughly 72 miles each. Skye completed over 100 miles herself, while Cameron completed a 31.99km ride – the longest distance recorded in one sitting for the event. Lyndsay walked in the rain, snow and sunshine and kept everyone in check.

Erin kept the social media up to date and did behind the scenes work, and Dwain played more golf than Tigar woods, ramping up his miles over the golf course. Finally, Kirsty and Callum did a great job of keeping up the team morale as much as possible throughout.

The team finished off by saying:

“Massive thank you to everyone who donated and supported us throughout the event. We couldn’t have done it without all of your kind words and donations. And if you want to see how we progressed throughout the challenge, please visit our Facebook page.”

Well done to everyone involved!