A MAN has set himself the challenge of completing seven triathalons over seven days to raise money in memory of his auntie.

Ross Greig is raising money for two causes close to his heart, Cancer Research and SAMH.

Ross, 37, lost his auntie Rona Evans, who lived in Craigendoran in Helensburgh, to bowel cancer five years ago.

Rona worked as a PE and guidance teacher at Dumbarton Academy for years.

Ross told the Advertiser: “She was a very fit lady and just to be struck down so quickly, it was pretty difficult to see.

“She was my only auntie and we were quite a small family, so we were quite close.

“Any money raised will hopefully mean we can stop that happening in the future.”

He added: “I wanted to honor her memory with some sort of endurance challenge, so I decided to push myself by doing seven triathlons over seven consecutive days.”

Ross, from Stepps in Glasgow, will start the triathlon in the Scottish Borders on Sunday, June 17, and will finish it a week later in Loch Lomond and a run into Glasgow.

He explained that he will be completing a minimum distance of 1.5km swimming, 40km cycling and 10km running each day.

“I didn’t want to just do a 10k, I know a lot of people do marathons to raise money for charity all the time, but I wanted to set myself a challenge with an element of uncertainty about if I can complete it.

“I’m excited and nervous. It’s the consecutive days that’s the challenge because I’ve completed marathons and triathlons, but I’ve always had the next day to rest.”

Any money raised will be split between Cancer Research and SAMH.

“Everyone knows someone that has been affected by cancer but having suffered from anxiety during my life along with family and friends I realise the stigma attached to mental health and wanted to raise further awareness.”

He has set himself the ambitious target of raising £2,000 through his Just Giving page. He will be supported by his parents Ruth and Alan along the way, with his dad driving him between destinations and doing mechanical work

And he is keen to encourage other enthusiastic athletes to join him for a leg of his triathlon.

He added: “I think the company would be really helpful during the day to keep me going.

“My wife is very sporty and will be taking part for a while, but we have a young daughter, so they can’t be there the whole time.

“People can get in touch through my Facebook page if they’re interested. They can take part for however long they want.”

To join Ross, message him via his Facebook page by searching for Seven in Seven.

Or to donate to his Just Giving page visit https://www.justgiving.com/teams/seveninseven.