British Heart FoundationA Scottish grandmother whose three children all died in the space of four years is aiming to reclaim her Guinness World Record on the day of her 86th birthday.
Mavis Paterson from Auchenmalg in Wigtownshire previously held the record as the oldest woman to cycle the 1000-mile route from Land’s End to John O’Groats, achieving the feat at 81 years old in 2019.
‘Granny Mave’ saw her record beaten three years later by a cyclist who was a year older.
On Friday, the day she turns 86, the grandmother of three is aiming to reclaim her crown, cycling in memory of her children who all died in their forties and raising funds for the British Heart Foundation (BHF).
Her youngest son Sandy died of a heart attack in 2012, her daughter Katie then died of viral pneumonia in 2013, and son Bob died in an accident in 2016.
She said: “Losing a child is the worst thing on earth and as they went, one by one, it was hard to go on.
“Instead, I got on my bike, and that helped. It stops me from thinking.
British Heart Foundation“My son Sandy was 43 when he died after a heart attack and I want to help raise funds so that the British Heart Foundation can continue research to find cures for heart conditions, so that families can stay together for longer.”
She previously raised over £500,000 for the BHF in memory of her mother Cathy and sister Sandra, who both had cancer.
Mavis said started distance cycling in her fifties after arthritic knee pain forced her to stop running, and after having both hips and knees replaced, she took up a 32-mile daily cycle as part of a training programme.
She said: “I never worry about my age or capability.
“Other people think about my age and ask, ‘do you think you can do this, are you not too old?’
“But I say to them, why would I stop cycling? it’s got nothing to do with my age. I don’t think about my age.
“I think about the healthy body I have been lucky enough to have and my two new hips and two new knees, so I just keep going.
“I recovered from the operations because I was determined to get on my bicycle again, so I did every exercise I was told to do.”
She will be setting off on August 17 with a support team of two fellow riders and a driver in a motorhome, and hopes to complete the journey in less than four weeks.
The 86-year-old previously cycled across both Canada and America and climbed Mount Kilimanjaro – but said losing her world record was a blow.
She added: “I didn’t think anyone would be able to beat it, and next thing I got a letter to say someone older had done it – although it did take her a little longer.
“I was a bit disappointed and decided I would have to challenge it.”
David McColgan, head of BHF Scotland, said: “Mavis is simply incredible and her resolve and determination in the wake of so much personal tragedy, is humbling.
“There are 700,000 people living in Scotland with a heart or circulatory disease and it is only with donations from the public that the BHF can keep its life saving research going.
“If anyone can complete this arduous challenge it is Mavis, and we’ll be cheering her on every mile.”
Mave’s progress can be followed on www.instagram.com/grannymavecycling on Facebook at Mavis Paterson Grannymavecycles and donations can be made here.
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