Local lady with MS to cycle from Loch Ness to Loughmacrory

TRACY Kelly, a Loughmacrory woman who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) a few years ago, has decided to undertake a mammoth 600km fundraising cycle from Loch Ness to Loughmacrory, and she is calling on other members of the community to join her on her journey.

Over four of the first days of August, along with a number of other charitable cyclists, Tracy, who has virtually no experience in the saddle, will jump on her bike at the edge of Scotland’s largest lough, and peddle for hundreds of miles until she eventually arrives on more familiar freshwater shores.

The group will leave Loch Ness on August 2, cycle 606km, on a route that takes them past nine different loughs, before finally rolling into Loughmacrory, sometime in the afternoon of August 6. Helping Tracy complete this Herculean undertaking is her brother, Noel McElduff. Noel promises to be by his sister’s side every revolution of the way.

The UH spoke with Noel earlier this week to find out what this endeavour means to him and his sister, and why others should get involved.

“Tracy received a diagnosis of MS a couple of years ago, and it is almost certain that, at some stage, taking on a physical feat like this will become impossible,” began Noel.

“This huge 606km cycle will allow her to prove herself physically and mentally, and also offer an opportunity to raise money to support other people living with MS.”

MS can cause a myriad of symptoms, but common ones include fatigue, vision problems, numbness and tingling, muscle spasms, and stiffness and weakness. While, for some people, symptoms come and go, for others they can get steadily worse over time.

“I got big into the sport after doing the Eiffel to Termon cycle a number of years ago,” said Noel, referring to a highly successful charity cycle from Paris to Carrickmore, which raised a huge £64,013 for Termonmaguirc Cancer Patients Comfort Fund.

“After that,” said Noel, “I was hooked.”

‘big miles’

Since that time, Noel has gone on to recreationally complete stages of the Tour de France, and, when it comes to peddling ‘big miles’, his belt proudly boasts a number of impressive notches.

“Cycling has done me the world of good,” said Noel, “and I know that it will be good for Tracy too. It’s great for the mind, body, and, as the Eiffel to Termon cycle showed, fundraising!”

The cycle will begin where the water washes on the shores of Lough Ness, wind through the rugged roads of rural Scotland, before eventually coming to a final stop in Loughmacrory.

“The lakes and loughs of Scotland have always held a special place in my heart, ever since I first visited them as a young boy,” said Noel. “There is some kind of intrinsic, unspeakable affinity, and I have no clue where it comes from. I hope everybody else gets a feel of this too.”

Tracy is currently training with Shark Tank gym in Loughmacrory, and soon she will begin putting in the road miles necessary to ready herself for August. If you want to become part of the Lough Ness to Loughmacrory group, contact Noel on lochnes600@gmail.com, or join their Facebook page, ‘Ln 600’.