Super-fit Sam Milton plans to cycle the North Coast 500 tourist route next week to raise money for the Friends of ANCHOR charity in memory of his late mum
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THE memory of his late mum will spur former footballer Sam Milton to complete the North Coast 500 route on a gruelling bike ride for charity.
Already Milton (33) has raised more than £5000 for Friends of ANCHOR , who supported his mother Mandy throughout her brave battle with cancer until she died in March.
To make a pledge to his challenge, click here .
Along with her husband John, Mrs Milton had completed the final leg of the scenic NC500 route by car last October, and son Sam knew how much the journey meant to them.
A former Highland League player with Lossiemouth who reverted to running, then triathlon, he was eager to take on a big sporting challenge to raise money for the north-east charity who helped his family.
“Their amazing team of staff made sure my mum was well looked after during her visits to the ANCHOR unit for treatment,” said Sam. “She always spoke so enthusiastically about each and every one of them.
“As a family we were, and still are, in awe of our mum’s sheer determination, positivity and appreciation of life while living with terminal cancer and I’m hoping her determination and positivity rubs off on me as I attempt to cycle the North Coast 500.
“My mum and dad had just completed the last leg last year, so it will always hold a special place in my dad’s heart.
“It will be nice to actually do this because I’ve never done it before in a car, never mind a bike.”
The hugely-popular tourist trail begins and ends in Inverness, taking in the unforgiving undulations of the west coast and far north.
It’s toughest stage is the legendary Bealach na Bà , the biggest mountain pass in the UK and longest climb by road, encompassing a series of hairpin bends and mighty ascents and descents.
Milton plans to complete all 516 miles of the route in five days, starting next Monday. He will be accompanied by his dad driving the support vehicle, and his wife Tessa.
"It will be five days riding, four nights and I’ve tried to split it as close as I could to 100 miles each day.
"Site availability dictated where the stops would be and how long each day would be. It wasn’t made easy with the situation we find ourselves in due to Covid.
"There have been people who have cycled it before but it will be good to do the challenge and it's an opportunity for me to give something back to a charity who did support my mum during her cancer battle."
The offshore worker, who now lives in Aberdeen, has used the coronavirus lockdown period to train hard, estimating that he has cycled 6000 miles this year on the roads, or his indoor turbo trainer, which takes him virtually over routes like the Alps or actual stretches of the Tour de France cycle race.
He played football for five seasons as a defender for Lossiemouth, before moving to Aberdeen where his wife Tessa was studying and then working.
A new job offshore ended his semi-professional footballing days so he plunged himself into the world of running, initially with great success.
"When I was working offshore, running was something I could continue to improve at and progress so I went all-in. Before I knew it, I was running 80+ miles a week."
Sam mastered some of Britain's toughest races like Lairig Ghru, a punishing hill race from Braemar to Aviemore, and the Glencoe mountain marathon over two gruelling climbs with a total ascent of 1369m.
The race between Glen Nevis and Glencoe also takes in the Devil’s Staircase, a 240 metre descent over the eastern edge of the notorious Aonach Eagach Ridge.
On more level ground, he clocked up good times in a series of major marathons including New York and London, the latter triggering a series of injury setbacks which was to take his sporting career on a different path.
"I had three stress fractures in the space of 18 months, all in different locations. So my hand was forced.
"My consultant told me I would continue getting injured if I kept running as much as I was, so I decided I would try my hand at triathlon.
"The thinking was that instead of doing a single discipline, if I share the load across three disciplines I could continue to train and progress injury-free.
"The running was there and bike strength has started to come. I still have to work on my swimming but I’ll work on that over the winter and that will be a good place to start competing next year."
But pedalling the full distance of the NC500 will top anything Sam has done in any of the sporting chapters in his life.
“I would say it’s the biggest challenge I’ve taken on,” he said.
“Just the undulating nature of the west coast, a lot of ups and downs and over the course of the 500 miles I think you are looking at in excess of 35,000ft of climbing.
"I’m hoping that the weather gods are looking down favourably on me.
“It will be character building and it certainly has the potential to be a lot harder if the weather isn’t kind. But I’ve set the date and there’s nothing I can do about the elements."
He has been given extra incentive to go the full distance and complete his mighty quest from his North Sea employers.
“I certainly can’t chicken out. My company (IThaca Energy) has pledged to donate £500, but only on completion.
“Obviously, the fact that I’m doing it in memory of my mum will drive me on and there’s no doubt in my mind that I will be strong enough mentally and physically to do it.
“I’m just delighted with the support I’ve received and the message of support I’ve had.”
