Boxing pals punch the air with joy
Youngsters raise over £3000 after charity marathon
A pair of young Cambuslang fitness fanatics boxed clever to raise more than £3000 for charity.
Taylor McMahon, 12, and Bradley Welsh, 13, are members of O’Neil’s Boxing Club and the duo put their energy levels to the test by completing the gruelling David Goggins Challenge to raise funds for the Donna Miller Foundation.
David’s challenge sees participants run an impressive 48 miles in just 48 hours. But because of the boys’ tender years, it was agreed they’d tackle 26 miles in two days instead.
Taylor’s proud mum Danielle told the Reformer: “Despite the gym being closed, Taylor and Bradley have continued their training via Zoom workouts.
“They do about three sessions a week and they have also continued with their running throughout the lockdown period.
“A few weeks ago, Taylor asked me if he could put his running to good use and try the David Goggins Challenge which has been done by a lot of professional boxers.
“We adapted it a little bit because of his age and his friend Bradley also said he wanted to take part.
“Given it’s such a big challenge, I suggested to the boys that they do it for charity and they decided they would give it a go and raise funds for the Donna Miller Foundation for the Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity.
“Donna was my best friend and sadly lost her life eight years ago to a brain tumour.
“Her brother Sean is the charity’s ambassador and set up the foundation.
“Sean and Donna’s family are still very much part of my family’s life so it was really emotional and thoughtful of the boys to raise money for a charity so close to our hearts.”
The Donna Miller ball takes place every two years and was due to be held on April 25 – the eighth anniversary of Donna’s passing.
However, because of the coronavirus pandemic, the event has had to be postponed until next year.
This was another reason why Taylor, a pupil at Trinity High School, and Bradley, who attends Cathkin High, decided to raise funds for the charity which is part of Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity.
Last Wednesday morning, Danielle joined the boys at 8am as they set off on a two-mile run every four hours to complete the task, adding in an extra two miles at the end to reach their 26 mile target.
And the boys were surprised on Friday when fellow members of the boxing club cheered them on while social distancing and even ran the final two miles with them.
Danielle added: “When I opened the door and the boys from the club were there standing cheering us on, I was so emotional.
“O’Neil’s is a great club to be a part of and the members even ran the last two miles with the boys.
“I was a blubbering mess. It was amazing and made the gruelling challenge all worth while.
“I cannot tell you how proud I am of Taylor and Bradley.
“They have raised more than £3000 for a charity that is so close to my family’s heart.”
Visit www.justgiving.com/fundraising/danielle-mcmahon3 to donate to the boys’ cause.