A STEVENSTON woman is getting ready to participate in a charity fundraiser by cycling across Trossachs.
Elaina Smith will join cyclists from across the country in Stirling to raise money for Parkinson’s UK.
The event, run by the Pedal Stirling Sportive, will feature three different routes throughout the Trossachs National Park, allowing participants of all levels to take part.
The charity cycle on September 1 will give cyclist the choice of 22, 50 or 100-mile routes all ending at Stirling High School.
It will cost £35 to sign up for the 22-mile route. £45 for the 50 miles, and £55 for the 100-mile route.
This year will be Elaina’s second time participating in the event in support of her husband Steve Morley, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2018.
Elaina said: “I used to be a nurse and therefore knew, when Steve was diagnosed, the impacts that were likely to follow,”
“We had always been active, we were keen hillwalkers, counting Munros, and we were determined to keep going particularly knowing the benefits of physical activity when managing Parkinson’s.”
Elaina has always been a fan of cycling, however she stopped during lockdown due to an injury which forced her to work through rehabilitation for a year and a half.
After regaining her confidence through use of racing app Zwift, she heard about The Pedal Stirling Sportive.
Having never done a group ride before Elaina said she thought keeping up was going to be a challenge.
“I had to train hard to tackle hills and maintain the pace.” She explained “I worked on it and completed Pedal Stirling Sportive last year, which felt amazing, and am now gearing up to go again in a couple of months.”
While Elaina’s niche is cycling, her husband Steve has found a way to manage his condition through table tennis.
Steve was a fan of table tennis as a teenager and took it back up in 2021 to help him navigate his Parkinson’s symptoms.
He has played both regular sessions and other dedicated to Parkinson’s throughout many clubs in Scotland.
Steve has made impressive achievements in the word of table tennis as he competed at the World Parkinson’s Table Tennis Championships held last year in Greece.
After taking part in the event, he was then selected to represent the International Table Tennis Federation at the World Master competition which will be happening in Rome this week.
“Steve plays table tennis five days a week and this has really improved his physical well-being and helped him make new social connections,” said Elaina.
“It’s been great to see, and the fact that Pedal Stirling raises money to help people with Parkinson's get active and stay active, makes it a brilliant cause to support.”
More information on the charity cycle and how you can take part can be found on the Parkinson’s UK website.
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