This year, Ashlea and Ross Miller took on one of the biggest physical challenges of their life. The 30 year olds, originally from Glasgow, completed their challenge of running the highest marathon in the world in May 2016. The Mount Everest Marathon took them 42km across the Himalayas, starting from Everest Base Camp and finishing at Namche Bazaar.

The pair chose the once in a lifetime experience and raise money for Alzheimer Scotland as three of their grandparents are living with dementia. This has had a huge impact on the entire family however they say Alzheimer Scotland has provided support, information and someone to talk to.

The twosome who mainly had to train indoors on treadmills and were preparing for their challenge on a very hot and flat island off the coast of mainland Australia said “we are so proud we managed to complete the challenge.” It was a challenge for them to even reach base camp with the risk of altitude sickness affecting at least half of all trekkers. Then, the tough endurance race that followed included high altitudes, steep mountains and low levels of oxygen contained in the air.

Talking about their support the pair said “It was such an extreme challenge, one which we don’t think we will ever surpass, so we thought it was a great excuse to raise money for such a worthy cause. Everyone has been very generous- once we explained the extent of the challenge, it was quite easy to convince our friends, family and colleagues that they should sponsor our crazy adventure.”

Inspired? Ashlea and Ross’s fundraising page is still open and you can donate here: www.mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/rossandashlea

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