Magnificent seven to help hero’s charity
Pals to pound cities’streets forThe Kris Boyd charity
Two Rangers-daft pals are going to take on a Scottish football running challenge to coin it in for their hero’s charity.
Jonny Duff, 22, and Jacob McKenzie, 23, from Ayr, will pound the pavements of the country’s seven cities over seven days, visiting iconic football grounds.
The duo hope it will be lucky number seven for The Kris Boyd Charity as they set off to help the mental health organisation created by the ex-Light Blues striker.
The pair, who have been pals since working in Ayr’s McDonald’s, regularly keep their physical and mental health in check by taking on runs, including gruelling treks up the Carrick Hills.
Now they plan on visiting the likes of Aberdeen’s Pittodrie, Hibs’ Easter Road, Hearts’ Tynecastle and Dundee United’s Tannadice as part of a whistle-stop week long tour of Inverness, Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Perth, Stirling and Glasgow, where they hope to finish off at Ibrox.
Jonny, a former Kyle Academy pupil who is training to be a PE teacher, said: “Our plan is to start right at the top from Inverness and work our way down.
“The idea is we’ll be running a half marathon in every city, we will plan our routes round the stadiums.
“It is going to be both a physical and mental challenge but it will all be for a good cause. We wanted to do something that will support mental health so The Kris Boyd Charity seemed like the perfect cause to support.
“We know all about Kris Boyd, we are both Rangers fans and we know it’s a great charity with its roots in Ayrshire.
“We got in contact with Boyd about our challenge and we were able to quickly meet him and get a picture, he was really excited about it all. We haven’t sorted all our routes yet but we plan on finishing up at Ibrox.”
The runners hope they can highlight the positives of exercise on mental health, after being involved in sport since a young age and doing the same sports degree.
Jonny added: “We know how important getting involved in sport and exercise is for your mental health. Going for a run together helps us open up and talk about our problems whilst improving our health.”
You can donate to Jonny and Jacob’s challenge at: https://www.gofundme. com/f/7-cities-challenge-for-thekris-boyd-charity-ltd