Lorna raises over £3500 for charity after NC500 challenge
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A Caithness woman has raised over £3500 for a cancer charity after completing a 755-mile duathlon in just over five days despite sustaining an injury.
Lorna Stanger (51) arrived at her home in Thurso early on Saturday morning after completing the gruelling task which involved running all the way to Inverness before cycling the full North Coast 500 route.
She had intended to finish the duathlon by running back up the A9, but due to her right knee being so sore she nearly had to abandon the last part of the epic journey. However, with grit and determination, she decided to try and pedal back home.
With a few tweaks to her cycling style, selecting low gears and managing to stay in the saddle going uphill, Lorna was able to take on the challenge.
Although admitting to being very tired, she was delighted with how well she managed all the hills without stopping.
"I was surprised how quickly I got up the road," Lorna said. "I felt like 'wow, I did that, I cannot believe it'. Coming up in the dark was actually fine – through the night the roads were quiet."
She arrived in Inverness after completing the NC500 around 6.30pm on Friday and decided to see how she felt after a rest. After sitting in a recliner chair with her legs up, Lorna set off on her cycle home around 11pm, arriving on her own doorstep at 7.24am in under nine hours.
While taking part in the ultra duathlon she kept herself going by thinking about a close friend who had just found out she had breast cancer.
Lorna was also delighted in more than doubling the amount of money she had intended raising for Macmillan Cancer Support. "It has just been overwhelming the amount of support I have had," she said.
Now that she has her T-shirt from the charity she is considering putting it on for a run from Inverness to Thurso just for fun, but will give it a week or so to see how her knee is.
Looking back on the whole journey, which involved a back-up team, Lorna said: "It went really, really well. We had the best of the weather and the scenery was spectacular – it was quite an adventure, to be honest.
"I was quite daunted by some of the hills – I did not want to fall off my bike. Getting up each hill was not a guarantee."
Since returning home, the qualified sports and advanced remedial massage therapist has been putting ice on her knee and tending to her puffy legs.
Lorna admitted: "To actually run all the way to Inverness is quite hard."
She set off after midnight on the Sunday, arriving in the city's Falcon Square in 22 hours and three minutes. She set off on her cycle round the NC500 on the Tuesday at 1pm.
The mother of two sets of twins has taken part in a number of endurance tests and has run between Inverness and Thurso on a couple of previous occasions to raise money for local causes.
Back-up and photography was provided by Robert MacDonald of Northern Studios, Wick, while Lorna was also sponsored by Thurso businesses The Bike Shop, Comm Bar and Reid’s Bakery.
Anyone wishing to donate to the Macmillan charity can still do so at www.justgiving.com/fundraising/lorna-stanger1
