LEJOG 2024

Paula Cormack

Paula has been distance cycling for a number of years, slowing increasing mileage from the 10-mile countryside runs of her youth, to 3-day Coast to Coast challenges in her 40s, to her greatest challenge to date in her 50th year – LEJOG 2024! 

Paula has a secret weapon when it comes to achieving her goals. One she’s more than happy to share with others! Paula, who is Chief Executive of The Archie Foundation, discovered that inviting others to sponsor her endurance cycling challenges is key to powering through the steepest climbs and most gruelling distances. When the going gets tough she grits her teeth and thinks of these generous sponsors and the difference their donations will make to the thousands of the babies, children and families facing far greater challenges and not of their choosing. How could she let them down? She can’t. And thanks to your sponsorship, she won’t. 

Click here to sponsor Paula and The Archie Foundation.

Katie Butler

In 2019, Katie lost an eye to ocular melanoma, a rare eye cancer.  During initial stages of diagnosis Maggie’s was where she turned “I went to the centre in Aberdeen and was welcomed into an amazing safe space where I could learn how to live with cancer and the impacts on me and my family”.

Katie received pre and post operative counselling which helped her with the psychological and practical impacts of her surgery which included learning to regain her balance.  The Glasgow Centre offered respite from 4 weeks of radiotherapy treatment at the Beatson, and a family day in early 2020 helped her young daughters process the changes in their mum.   Katie used a Maggie’s fundraising “run 50 miles in January” in 2020 and 2021 to regain physical confidence and in 2022 signed up to cycle across Scotland for Maggie’s as part of a company fundraising event.

Three years on, Katie has found cycling to be important to her mental as well as physical health, and despite being road-side blind has taken part in two more cross-Scotland challenges as well as the ETAPE Loch Ness. Katie is also an ambassador for the Asthma & Allergy Foundation and so has chosen to use this challenge to raise funds for the two charities closest to her heart.

Katie would really appreciate your support for Maggie’s and/or Asthma & Allergy Foundation.

Shona Robertson

Shona is no stranger to sporting challenges, having spent 6 years in the British Alpine Ski Team, but cycling is a whole different bag! Endurance has never been a particular strength of Shona’s, but after her sister and fellow LEJOG participant, Lesley, convinced her to join her on a cycle one lovely Friday morning she was hooked. Shona juggles running an Insurance Broker business, H&R Insurance Services, with training whilst also juggling her two children, Dylan (12) and Iona (10) plus Amber, a highly active Flat Coated Retriever! 

Shona has chosen to support Camphill School Aberdeen, having witnessed the vital support provided to its residents and its ethos that every child and adult deserves a fulfilling life, regardless of disabilities.

Click here to access Shona’s fundraising page.

Lesley MacLeod

Lesley started cycling around 6 years ago when she realised how much fun the rest of her family where having on their bikes. She started taking her son to his cycle races all over Scotland because he needed a taxi service. As a complete novice she suddenly had to learn about bike racing, tactics and the inevitable mechanicals, all of which she really enjoyed. Around the same time, Lesley had a group of friends who had entered a local 180 mile sportive, Ride the North, and she decided she fancied giving it a go. The first hurdle was acquiring a bike!

“You can’t beat exercising in the fresh air. There is no better way to view the countryside than by bike. Britain really is a beautiful place. I think we are lucky in Aberdeenshire because the roads are very quiet  and drivers overall are very courteous. We have it all hills, forest, stunning coastline and very little rain. I’m looking forward to riding the length of this country from Lands End to John O Groats. It will be by far the toughest cycling event I have ever done by a long way. I can’t wait to see more of our beautiful island whilst raising money for some fantastic charities while I do so.”

Lesley is fundraising for Dementia Scotland, following a recent diagnosis within her family.

Claire Emslie

Claire found her love for cycling when she attached a trailer to her bike and took her two daughters along for the ride. What started as a solution to exercise around young children turned into a true passion for cycling that continues to this day. Juggling a busy life, running her own creative marketing business, and raising two daughters, training offers her an escape from the stress of a busy life, to clear her mind and rest. So why take on a challenge like LEJOG? This is what she had to say:

“There is something about discovering your limits and pushing past them. Finding that inner resilience when your legs just want to stop, but you keep going. It empowers you, and I think that translates into other areas of life. I always say to my girls, “You can do hard things,” and I hope that showing them that yes, you can do something that they think is impossible inspires them to keep thinking the impossible might just be possible.”