Jogging Jambo to Run 50 Miles for MND Scotland

Jogging Jambo to Run 50 Miles for MND Scotland

On February 6th, Craig McBride (29), better known as the ‘Jogging Jambo’, is set to take on his biggest challenge yet when he will run an astounding 50 miles from Tynecastle Park to Ibrox Stadium to raise money for MND Scotland.

A lifelong Heart of Midlothian F.C. supporter, Craig, who lives a mere goal kicks distance from the pitch at Tynecastle, first started running six years ago and after only a couple of years, decided that he wanted to take the sport more seriously. So, to ensure that he would stay committed to his training, Craig began to sign up for increasingly more difficult events that would force him to continuously push his running abilities further.

Shortly after the partnership between Hearts and MND Scotland was announced, which sees the charity’s logo front and centre of the team’s 2021/22 kit, Craig decided that he wanted to show his support for his beloved club’s new sponsor and to raise money for MND Scotland. So, to ensure his training had the biggest impact possible, Craig started running the result of every game played by Hearts this season and so far, has run a grand total of 377km.

Following the team’s 5-0 result against Auchinleck Talbot, his next challenge will be running 50 miles from Tynecastle Park in Edinburgh to Ibrox Stadium in Glasgow, on Sunday 6th February, arriving just in time to catch the Rangers vs Hearts match.

When asked about his inspiration for the unique challenge, Craig said: I was living in Vietnam at the time and Hearts had just won 2-1 against Celtic. It was morning and I thought I would go for a run. I remember that the sun was coming up and before I realised it, I had run 16km and thought well, I might as well do 21km and run the same distance as the score. 

“At first it was just for a bit of fun and a way to challenge myself while I was training for the Liverpool Marathon. Then Hearts won 5-2 against Dundee United! At that point I could have just stopped, but I realised the 52km was roughly the distance to the next game at Motherwell. So, I decided to run there from the outskirts of Edinburgh and at that point made the challenge a fundraiser to support MND Scotland. 

“Up until now, the longest run I have done is 30 miles but with this next run, I am really trying to step things up, to raise more money and make a bigger impact.” 

On December 12th, Hearts held MND Day at Tynecastle Park and with support from Rangers F.C, hosted a magnificent day of fundraising and football. Craig and good friend Jamie did their bit and brought smiles to the faces of the MND Scotland fundraising team and bucket collection volunteers when they arrived in true ‘Jogging Jambo’ style, having run from their homes to the stadium.

Speaking on the partnership between Hearts and MND Scotland, he said: “I think the partnership with MND Scotland signals how the values of the club have changed for the better since we became fan owned.  

“Just seeing the MND Scotland logo on the shirt alone and thinking about how much awareness that must be raising is a great feeling and makes me feel extremely proud.   

“Zal was very much a hero to me. He was my favourite player and like the rest of the Hearts community, I was devastated when he passed away. So, for me as a fan, the partnership between Hearts and MND Scotland is hugely inspirational.” 

The ‘maroon miles’ ran by Craig have generated £1,620 so far and the money that he continues to raise on Sunday and over the rest of the season, will help MND Scotland to provide life changing services and fund ground-breaking research, that people diagnosed with MND in Scotland rely on.

Iain McWhirter, Head of Fundraising at MND Scotland, said:It’s wonderful to hear how the partnership between Hearts and MND Scotland has inspired Craig to take on this huge challenge and running 50km from Tynecastle to Ibrox for Sunday’s match really is going the extra mile to support his team. If you can, please support Craig’s fundraising to ensure that MND Scotland is able to support individuals and families affected by this devastating disease.”

You can get involved and support Craig by donating to his Just Giving page and keep track of the ‘Jogging Jambo’ by following him on Twitter here.

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