A Lanarkshire fitness instructor admitted completing the West Highland Way barefooted was the hardest challenge he has ever faced.
Army veteran Craig Curtis, from Lanark, completed all 96 miles from Milngavie to Fort William without any shoes in aid of Blesma, which supports ex-Service men and women who have suffered life-changing limb loss.
The seven day challenge tested Craig to his limit and he was on crutches for several days after finally finishing.
He said: “After a couple of days my feet were getting ripped to shreds and blistering.
“It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done, I felt like a Prisoner of War running away from a camp.
“I was on crutches for two days, my whole body just shut down.
“There’s absolutely no way I would do that again. If anyone does that I would be the first person to shake their hand.
“On the final stretch I was at the last two kilometres at 2pm and I didn’t cross the finish line until 6pm.
“I had my two brothers, my dad and my partner Sabrina with me and the last one and a half kilometres were good.”
Last year, Craig completed a year-long burpee challenge and raised £28,000 for Wishaw-based charity Chris’s House.
This time around he has raised a fantastic £7366 for Blesma.
This included incredible generosity from many walkers who were on the West Highland Way at the same time as Craig.
“People were really fantastic with me,” said Craig.
“I would finish on the day and people were saying they weren’t sure I was still out there and then they saw the muddy footprints.
“I even got a £500 donation from one guy from America. I had my QR code on my t-shirt while I was walking.”
Craig is thankful for the support he had from his family during his challenge especially his partner Sabrina.
He added: “I decided to do the first couple of days on my own and then Sabrina came along with me.
“It must have been so difficult for her because I was going really slowly and I was in so much pain.
“It definitely showed how strong our relationship is.”
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