Ayr man swimming Loch Doon & running length of River Ayr in one day for Ayrshire Hospice
Martin Boyle is set to swim the 10k Loch Doon and run alongside the 65k River Ayr in one day for the Ayrshire Hospice
Last updated 11th Jul 2023
An Ayrshire man is set to take on an endurance challenge to raise funds for the Ayrshire Hospice next month.
Local lad Martin Boyle is challenging himself to swim the length of Loch Doon and run the length of the River Ayr on the same day.
This type of challenge may seem like an impossible task to most people, but the 24-year-old from Ayr has taken on similar endeavours for the local hospice.
In 2022, Martin and his friend ran two marathons on the same day and raised ÂŁ4000 in the process.
This year he’s hoping to raise £100 for every kilometre he swims and runs.
He’s been telling Greatest Hits Radio why the Ayrshire Hospice is a cause close to his families heart.
He said: “My granddad was in the hospice for the last few days of his life, so the hospice and the staff made the world of difference to my family.
“I think everyone in Ayrshire at somepoint has been affected by them positively. You’d be hard pushed to find anyone who’s family or close friends haven’t known someone that’s been helped by this hospice.
“It’s easy to forget but they are a massive service to the people of Ayrshire.
Martin, who travels for work as Model will be heading to Greece this week for another job, and whilst he’s there he will be training in the heat in preparation for the fundraiser.
Due to his uncertain schedule, he’s not locked in a solid date, but he’s hoping to do the swim and run in the first week of August.
He added: “My aim is to start the swim at 6am in the morning by the latest. That should take about 4 hours, but I’m hoping I can manage it in 3 and a half. I’ll then get out the loch, my dad will drive me to the starting point of the River Ayr.
“I’ll hopefully set off by 12pm and if all goes well, I’d like to think I’ll be in the pub by 8 having a pint.
“I’d love to raise £7500 pound this year because that would be £100 for every kilometre I swim and run. Loch Doon is 10k and the run will be 65k so to get to that sum would be incredible and make a lot of difference to families.”
You can donate to Martin’s fundraiser on the Ayrshire Hospice website.