One of Scotland's top athletes is taking time out of his Olympic preparations to cycle from Land's End to John o' Groats to try to raise £100,000 for a children's charity.
One of Scotland's top athletes is taking time out of his Olympic preparations to cycle from Land's End to John o' Groats to try to raise £100,000 for a children's charity.
Kenny Herriot has become one of the world's leading wheelchair athletes since a freak motorcycle accident in 2000 when he skidded on a diesel spillage while travelling at 15mph.
The gruelling 17-day challenge will see Aberdeen-based Herriot covering around 1000 miles - between 60 and 90 miles a day - on a specially designed hand cycle.
The former PT instructor in the Parachute Regiment was a successful fitness trainer, boxer and manager when he suffered the accident which left him paralysed from the waist down, but he was determined to regain his fitness and independence.
"I was highly motivated before and for the first three months I did wonder what the future would hold, and there were moments of tears, although only briefly, and then I decided to get on with it," he said.
"The worst moment was when they took the towels off and I saw my physique had disappeared."
His wheelchair sporting career began eight months after his accident when he was offered the opportunity to participate in the annual Spinal Games in Glasgow.
The sports fanatic tried eight of the activities on offer and ironically ignored wheelchair racing.
However, three months later he competed in a 10K and has never looked back.
He said: "In July 2002, racing in Thailand I first broke the Scottish Marathon record.
"Over the following years I was to break this record again and again until April 2005 when I achieved something far greater in Padova, Italy - I became the British Marathon record holder. My time of 1hr 28 min 13 sec broke the record which had been held for 13 years by David Holding."
He trains six days a week and competes all over the world.
Herriot is ranked among the world's leading wheelchair athletes and has his sights set on the Paralympics in Beijing in September for which he has been training in Atlanta, Georgia and South Africa.
However, on June 3 he will leave Land's End on a route that will wind through Cornwall, Devon, Dartmoor, Somerset, Bristol, the Severn Bridge, Hereford, Shropshire, Cheshire, Lancaster, Cumbria and the Lake District, Carlisle, on to Gretna Green, Ayrshire, Loch Fyne and Inveraray, Ballachulish, Drumnadrochit, Bonar Bridge, Altnaharra, Thurso and finally arriving in John o' Groats on June 19.
At a special fundraising launch tomorrow in the city's Marcliffe at Pitfodels hotel, local businesses will hear details of the challenge.
Proceeds from the challenge will go to Cash for Kids, the charity which supports disabled and disadvantaged children.
"I am looking forward to the challenge and hope to encourage and inspire as many companies and individuals as possible to sponsor me and support us throughout the 17 legs of the cycle."
John Curran, chairman of the Cash for Kids Trustees, said Herriot's story was inspirational.
"We are absolutely delighted that Kenny has so generously decided to take on this personal challenge. His story and determination to get back to incredible fitness after his accident are inspiring to everyone who meets him and this also reflects the positive work Cash for Kids is doing to raise money to support young people who are in need and to give them a helping hand in life.
"We are hoping that many companies will follow the lead of Aker Kvaerner and sign up to sponsor Kenny on part of his amazing trip."
His journey will be tracked in bulletins on Northsound radio and there will be a blog on the Cash for Kids website.
