VIDEOS + PICTURES: 'My pain will go away. They’re living with it for life.' Duncan Ferguson lends MND charity support as heroic football fan runs 165 miles in 48 hours from Inverness Caley Thistle's ground to Tynecastle
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A Hearts fan who once rallied in Caley Thistle’s hour of need has pulled off an incredible fundraising feat by running between the two club stadiums.
The heroic effort across 165 miles – roughly six and a half marathons – took bus driver and former paramedic Gregor Miller less than 48 hours.
The 51-year-old from Sauchie, Stirlingshire has so far raised almost £14,000 for motor neurone disease (MND) charities – and is hoping to hit the £20k mark.
VIDEO: A sore and despondent Gregor Miller at Aviemore stop
He was joined on the Caley to Castle Crusade Run by three long-distance cyclists, while six other runners and pedallers, including wife Sian, dipped in and out of sections to lend him morale-boosting backing.
Among them was former Scotland, Hearts and Wolves midfielder Colin Cameron, now Raith Rovers' assistant, who ran 20 miles, while SFA and FIFA match official Willie Conquer ran 30.
As trepidation grew before he set off from Caledonian Stadium, Mr Miller was treated to a fine send-off by new Caley Thistle boss Duncan Ferguson and club officials.
In February 2021, with Covid excluding fans from grounds, he had been part of a Jam Tarts supporters’ group who forked out for thousands of virtual tickets to ease the Inverness club’s financial struggle.
Mr Miller, remarkably, only took up running four years ago.
VIDEO: Approaching the finish in the Gorgie area of Edinburgh
But running night and day over the weekend, with just four short breaks, he battled mental lows and a badly swollen ankle to complete the feat between Friday September 29 to Sunday October 1.
What kept him going was a determination to help those suffering from a brutally debilitating and life-shortening disease which had tragically claimed the life of his dad, Campbell.
“Terrified” before departure, as the pre-challenge video describes, Mr Miller was tested to the absolute limit on day one.
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“It was quite nice to reminisce with big Duncan Ferguson, who signed two Caley Thistle shirts for auction, because we actually played against each other as kids when I was at Lornshill Academy and he was with Bannockburn High.
“While we were there, we even had a lorry driver who happened to hear about the challenge on the radio pull into the Caley stadium to donate.
“As Hearts supporters, certainly since John Robertson went there, we’ve long since had a strong affiliation with Caley Thistle, especially when things were going a bit awry for them financially.
“That persuaded me to begin the challenge there, not realising that, actually, heading south there are some pretty challenging inclines.
“Through the first 30 miles, I think I did 22 uphill!
“After the first 30 miles, with it starting to get dark, the sense of self-doubt was huge and I had to battle it.
“Constantly being on an incline also took a toll on my ankle joint. I’d done some hills before but nowhere near 8000 feet of elevation.
“I just had to focus on why I was doing it. There is no MND cure yet, nothing licensed to even slow it down.
VIDEO: Hearts chairwoman Ann Budge voices support
“We’re still in the infancy of treatment and I thought of Marius Žaliūkas (the former Hearts and Lithuania footballer), Doddie Weir (Scottish rugby player) and my dad.
“I’ve met so many people living with MND and I was doing it for these guys, and the people who get diagnosed tomorrow.
“Yes, I’m going to be sore, probably for a week, but my pain will go away. They’re living with it for life and the reality is it will claim their life.”
Previously a physical training instructor in the Royal Air Force, Mr Miller was always fit, but disliked running before his dad’s death sparked him into action.
“I knew if I picked something that was well outside my comfort zone, friends and family would know just how hard it was for me,” he said.
“Over the last four years, I’ve done alright.
“Probably when we got to Pitlochry on the Saturday morning, our first main break, the light started coming up and I began to feel like I could succeed,” he added.
There was an hour’s break at Aviemore after 29 miles, then an hour at Dalwhinnie and four hours at Pitlochry after 90 miles, with family members including mum Nancy rejuvenating spirits.
There were then warm welcomes at St Johnstone’s McDiarmid Park for four hours and at Kelty Hearts FC, before the tough final miles into Edinburgh and a lunch reception at Tynecastle.
“It was an amazing finish - we were escorted up Balgreen Road by a motorcycle group, while the Kings’ Own Scottish Borderers pipe band played at the finish,” Mr Miller said.
The Caley to Castle Crusade fundraiser was for MND Scotland, University Of Edinburgh (Scotland) and My Name'5 Doddie Foundation.
Donations can be made here.
