Valleys triathlon raises more than £12,000 for trust

The ‘Legends of the Swire’ team who won the Two Valleys Triathlon. From left: Ian Knipe, Ross Paterson and Sandy Walker.

Weather conditions couldn’t have been more perfect for the 17 teams taking part in ‘Katie’s 25th Birthday Two Valleys Triathlon’, which raised more than £12,000 for the Katie McKerracher Trust.

However, the participants’ main aim had little to do with either speed or endurance, and everything to do with raising money for the Katie McKerracher Trust - a cause very dear to organiser Kenny Houston’s heart.

The trust was set up in 2009 by Ettrickbridge couple Andrew and Ann McKerracher, close friends of Kenny and his wife Shirley, in memory of their daughter Katie, who died in January of that year after being diagnosed with Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG).

Starting at the Loch of the Lowes, the triathlon course switched between the Yarrow and Ettrick Valleys before finishing at the sports field in Ettrickbridge. There, participants received their medals from Ann and Andrew McKerracher.

Robin Murray, the only solo entrant, celebrates completing the entire course in a time of three hours 20 minutes.

“This year would have seen Katie celebrate her 25th birthday,” said Kenny, a former police officer who lives in Selkirk, “so holding a triathlon seemed an ideal way to commemorate this, while at the same time raising money for the trust.

“So far the event has raised over £12,000 for the trust, way beyond my wildest expectations,” said Kenny. “The triathletes have clearly put as much energy into their fund-raising as they have into their training, and for that I can’t thank them enough.”

Kenny was himself diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2013, and now finds himself terminally ill. However, he still manages to find time to fund-raise for others.

Over the past seven years Kenny has raised funds for two charities: the Macmillan Centre at the BGH and the Katie McKerracher Trust.

Members of ‘Team 200’, who picked up the prize for raising the most money (£2,235 at time of going to press).

In 2015 he organised a black tie dinner & auction in support of the BGH’s Borders Cancer Centre and the Katie McKerracher Trust, with each organisation receiving a cheque in excess of £10,000.

To date, apart from the 2015 dinner for the joint charities, he has held a further three fund-raising events for the trust: a Bombay Bingo Night in Ettrickbridge Village Hall, the ‘Etape Brigend-to-Bamburgh’ and of course Saturday’s triathlon.

Kenny, who is shy about his fund-raising achievements, said: “Having cancer, and finding myself in the situation I am in, focuses the mind and makes you want to help others, hence I started the fund-raising.”

To date, Kenny has raised in excess of £30,000 for the Katie McKerracher Trust, and if anyone would like to learn more about the trust and its work, go to www.katie mckerrachertrust.co.uk

“The triathlon wouldn’t have been possible without the fantastic support I’ve received from many individuals, companies and organisations, so a big thank you goes out to them all. A special thank you goes to main sponsor Kevin Crawford Events and to all the volunteer marshals.”