A former first XV star at Ayr Rugby Club has completed a gruelling charity challenge that involved climbing 36 Munros in six days while carrying a 36-pound weight in his backpack. Craig Brown, from Coylton, scaled new heights in May to raise funds for the My Name'5 Doddie Foundation, a charity named after former Scotland lock Doddie Weir, who passed away in 2022 after battling motor neuron disease (MND).
Fundraising Success
As of Friday, May 29, Craig surpassed his initial target of £2,000, raising £2,808. Reflecting on the challenge, he said: "It was tough going, if I'm being honest, but it's great to surpass the target. I think the hardest thing was the motivation to keep going. The first few days were really difficult but then, towards the end, it was the adrenaline that got me through it."
Craig added: "I'd been training hard for this challenge and initially, I thought if I could get as close to £1,000 that would've been amazing, but to reach nearly £3,000, I'm delighted."
Inspiration Behind the Challenge
Craig was inspired by a previous fundraiser a couple of years ago, where someone carried 100 kilograms up Ben Nevis in support of the My Name'5 Doddie Foundation. "Motor neuron disease is horrible and there's massive underfunding for it," said Craig. "There's also still no cure for it and not much meaningful treatments for MND."
He acknowledged underestimating the time required: "With this challenge I kind of underestimated how long it would actually take to complete, so it meant late nights getting to bed, then up very early in the mornings. Getting up and going was the hardest part, but once you're up, it wasn't so bad."
Daily Routine
The 35-year-old, who works at Prestwick Airport, described the first day as particularly tough: "The first day was definitely tough, basically a 14-hour day. And the average was six Munros a day."
Continuing Rugby Involvement
Craig's love for rugby continues with occasional appearances at back row for the Ayr RFC Third XV. His JustGiving page reveals more about his motivation: "Just an asthmatic diabetic with an arthritic hip carrying 36 lbs up 36 Munros in 6 days! On average, six people die from MND every day and another six are diagnosed. So I will summit a Munro for every person that loses their battle and carry 1lb for every person just starting theirs in the six days. A tough challenge, but nothing compared to what people battling MND face."
The page adds: "I will be extremely humbled and grateful for every penny donated for this amazing cause. Thank you!" Donations can still be made via his JustGiving page.
