Team take on epic Ben Rinnes x 20
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A TEAM of five will go some gruelling extra miles in memory of local youngsters when they each tackle 20 back-to-back ascents of Ben Rinnes.
In the 48 hours between 10am on Saturday, June 29, and 10am on Monday, July 1, the five local men will take on TWENTY19 – one of the most extreme challenges so far attempted in the Moray area.
Cameron Mackintosh (50) from Elchies in Speyside, Gary Ewen (35) and John Norman (36) from Rothes, John Mccruden (47) from Aldearn and Peter Duggie (59) from Dufftown will each attempt 20 consecutive climbs of Ben Rinnes, Banffshire's highest peak at 2760ft.
The challenge marks the 10th anniversary, on June 30, of Moray youngster Logan Main losing his battle against neuroblastoma cancer at just three years of age.
The team aims to boost the coffers of Logan’s Fund, the charity that operates UK-wide in Logan’s memory to support families who have a child battling a cancer diagnosis.
Climb on climb, the total distance covered from sea level to summit and back down again will tower above that of Mount Everest – at an approximate distance of 97 miles. The team have been in training for several months. John Mccruden plans to run as much of the distance as possible. And it's familiar stomping ground for Peter, who runs up and down Ben Rinnes every day.
It's the second Ben Rinnes challenge for Moray Council employee Cameron, who, in 2013, completed 10 ascents of Ben Rinnes in 24 hours, raising around £4000 for the charity.
The challenge will start on June 29, which is the seventh anniversary of the passing of Fraserburgh youngster Olivia Downie, who was just seven years old. The trek will finish on July 1, the second anniversary of Forres four-year-old Eileidh Rose Paterson's death.
All three children battled neuroblastoma cancer.
Olivia received treatment at Royal Aberdeen Children’s Hospital at the same time as Logan, and their respective parents formed an enduring bond. Olivia made national news in 2012 when her family launched a worldwide appeal to have her flown back from a clinic in Mexico so she could pass away at home in Scotland. Eileidh made the papers too when she "married" her best friend in a bucket-list ceremony weeks before she lost her fight in 2017.
Eileidh and her family were the first to benefit from a holiday from treatment thanks to the fund's new Logan’s Sunny Days initiative. This offshoot of the charity has grown to become a key part of its work.
Cameron said: "We will also be dedicating specific climbs to the memory of other children close to the charity’s heart. We have sought the blessing from the respective families and they have chosen the numbered climb they think appropriate to their child – in most cases the age they were when they gained their angel wings."
Cameron is chairman of Logan’s Fund while Gary and John Norman are staunch supporters of the charity.
And team member John Mccruden has a particularly poignant motivation for taking on the challenge.
On August 12, 2014, his three-year-old daughter, Martha, was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.
He said: "Martha went from being a happy, bright, perfectly normal child to a skeletal shell in a couple of weeks, unable to talk, walk, eat or drink. The diagnosis was the end of our life as we knew it. It was horrific for all of us.
"She was diagnosed with Miller Fisher Syndrome on September 5, an auto-immune disease that can cause complete paralysis and her treatment for leukaemia was delayed to allow the treatment for the Miller Fisher to go ahead.
"They were very dark days and at times we couldn't see a way out of them at all.
"Martha, however, has now made a remarkable recovery. She is healthy, active and happy, again a perfectly normal eight-year-old – as she is now.
"Logan's Fund has enabled us to have two wonderful holidays away from the stresses of normal life and had some truly amazing times with them at Logan’s Sunny Days. They work so hard to help families like us that this challenge seemed like a great way to help raise some money for them and say thank you."
Martha, little sister Millie and mum Dawn will be supporting the team from a camper van at the foot of Ben Rinnes. Other family and friends of the team will be on hand to support the climbers, both joining them on climbs or bringing provisions for them.
Logan’s parents, Angela and Chris, will take on one climb with the group as well as some local families that Logan’s Fund have supported, including Abbie Main’s mum, Tammy, who will be bringing Sky, the dog donated as a pup to Abbie by Logan’s Fund.
Gary is a warehouse supervisor at Glenrothes Distillery. His employer, Edrington Group, along with the Robertson Trust, will match the total raised up to £5000, effectively tripling the figure. You can sponsor the team at https://benrinnestwenty19.everydayhero.com/uk/teamtwenty19
