Olympic gold medal winner Sally Gunnell and Scottish rugby legend Gavin Hastings arrived in Inverness this afternoon to take a Monster Challenge.
The former sports stars both sported kilts as they limbered up for tomorrow’s (Saturday) First Monster Challenge – the 120km team relay duathlon around the shores of Loch Ness organised by transport giant, FirstGroup.
Gavin arrived carrying a foot injury and confirmed that he is unable to take on his running leg. He said: “This will be my fourth consecutive Monster, but an old foot injury from my rugby days has flared up and so I’m only able to take on my cycling leg.”
“My aim is to get round in one piece, enjoy the weekend and raise lots of money for Save the Children, FirstGroup’s charity partner.”
Meanwhile Sally Gunnell arrived in Inverness in good condition and confirmed that until today she has never before worn a kilt. She has assembled a crack team which stands an outside chance of finishing in the top ten of the sell out field. ‘Team Gunnell’ includes Sally’s husband, Jon Bigg, himself a former athlete and two hard-core fitness fanatics from Sussex.
She said: “I took on the Monster last year and enjoyed it so much that my team is back to see if we can improve our performance. We managed to finish 40th in 2010 – we’ve been training hard and so have a top ten finish in our sights.”
She added: “It really is a great event in a fantastic setting – amongst the most spectacular scenery I’ve seen. I’m thoroughly looking forward to getting out there tomorrow, but I won’t be wearing a kilt – the forecast looks to be too cold.”
Avril Gill, Marketing Manager of event organisers FirstGroup, commented: “We have been overwhelmed with interest in the First Monster Challenge 2011 – indeed we sold out a few months ago with more than 200 teams of four taking part, including a team from one of our companies, Greyhound, in the USA. We are very lucky to have attracted sporting icons such as Sally Gunnell and Gavin Hastings. I hope they and all our competitors enjoy the event, get round safely and raise lots of money for good causes.”
This evening (Friday) competitors will attend a safety briefing and pasta party at the event’s start and finish point, Queens Park Stadium, Inverness, before rising for a 7am start on race day (Saturday).
The First Monster Challenge, which has been officially accredited by the British Triathlon Foundation, is for of teams of four. Each competitor is required to complete two legs of the eight-legged event – one 10km run and one 20km cycle.
Thirty elite athletes will take on the ‘Iron Monster Challenge’ – competitors will complete the entire 120km course (40km running and 80km cycling) solo. That is the equivalent of running one marathon and cycling two.
There will also be an event aimed at families. The ‘First Mini Monster’ will consist of a simple mile run / jog / walk or cycle starting and finishing at Queens Park Stadium. Entry is free and all participants will receive a t-shirt and medal.
For more information about the First Monster Challenge, the Iron Monster or the Mini Monster, log on to www.firstmonster.com