Highland League football manager Steven Mackay reaches his £20,000 goal in aid of MFR Cash for Kids charity after running four marathons within 24 hours from Wick to Inverness
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Highland League football manager Steven Mackay says it feels “just amazing” to have achieved his £20,000 fundraising target for disadvantaged youngsters after running four marathons within 24 hours from Wick to Inverness.
He clocked up 104.8 miles in 23 hours and 39 minutes to complete the challenge at Bught Park in the Highland capital on the afternoon of Saturday, June 26 – his 40th birthday – in aid of the MFR Cash for Kids charity.
Steven, manager of Highland League champions Brora Rangers, had set off at 3pm the previous day from Wick Academy’s Harmsworth Park and was accompanied along parts of the route by friends, former team-mates and family members.
He broke through the £20,000 barrier on his fundraising page last week – adding to the £17,800 he raised last year on an 80-mile run.
MFR Cash for Kids paid tribute to Steven for his “outstanding achievement” and described his support as “truly life-changing”.
Steven admitted that he had been unsure whether he would reach his fundraising goal this time.
“Last year the target was £10,000 and this year it was £20,000 so I wasn’t too sure if we were going to make it,” he said.
“Once I’d finished the run and we were sitting around about the £18,000 mark I was quite satisfied with that amount – I knew that the £20,000 was a bit of a stretch.
“But to finally get there is just amazing because I know the difference it will make to the charity. They’re absolutely delighted with the amount and it really will make a massive difference.
“They are inundated with requests and if the run that we completed is able to service some of the children in the Highlands then that makes all the mental pain and physical pain worth it.
“In the back of my mind I thought I would like to exceed last year’s total, but it’s difficult when you’re asking people to donate and give generously once again after asking them just 12 months prior.
“I don’t like to pester people for money but because it’s such a good cause then I’m willing to do it. It was great to finally get over the £20,000 mark.
“It has been a tough year and a lot of people have been impacted financially so I felt that if I was asking people to dig deep then I would really need to do something a little bit out of the ordinary. When I ran out of Wick and I saw the sign for 103 miles to Inverness, I thought we’d better hit £20,000 – this better be worth it!”
The quadruple marathon took its toll both physically and mentally.
“Physically it took me probably three or four days to get back to feeling normal and being able to walk properly and not walk with any soreness,” Steven said.
“I was able to do another run, albeit only a 5k, the following Saturday.”
He indicated that he will consider tackling another fundraiser next year.
“To date these challenges have raised over £35,000 so if it means getting more money for charity then I’m prepared to do it,” he said. “It would need to be something special but we’ll see what happens.”
MFR charity manager Lyndsay Rose said: “What an outstanding achievement. Not only did Steven successfully complete his gruelling challenge but he’s also exceeded his £20,000 target.
“We are overwhelmed – this is a huge donation for us. We’d like to thank everyone who donated, those who joined Steven on his run and those who supported him on the way.
“There are only two of us who work for MFR Cash for Kids and obviously the last year has been really tough from a fundraising point of view. We’ve had numerous established events cancelled but have received even more applications than ever before, meaning that my board have had some really difficult decisions to make as we simply don’t have enough money to help everyone.
“We had our latest grant round at the start of the month so most of the money raised by Steven has already been distributed. It has allowed us to purchase essential equipment for children with additional needs as well as basic essentials for children and families in poverty.
“Without his support we wouldn’t have been able to do this – it’s truly life-changing.”
