On Saturday evening, as rugby fans across the world were settling in to watch a crucial pool match between Scotland and Ireland, we were treated to a special moment ahead of kick off. Kenny Logan, former teammate of Doddie’s, and Hamish Weir, Doddie’s son, walked onto the pitch decked out in the tartan trousers that were synonymous with the late Scotland international.

Beyond the sartorial elegance, the likes of which even Paris has rarely seen, they carried with them a ball that had taken the scenic route to the match. Far from the usual high-speed, impeccably packaged courier delivery, this ball had spent the last 7 days strapped to the back of a bicycle or on Kenny’s back as part of his epic Rugby World Cup Challenge.

700 miles of walking and cycling from Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh to the Stade De France, Paris accompanied by a host of supporters and celebrities saw the challenge raise over £555,000 for My Name’5 Doddie Foundation.

The funds raised by this challenge and the generosity of donors will help to fund vital research to find effective treatments to MND. Coincidentally, while the challenge was underway, our research review committee was meeting in Leeds. The committee involves leading academic and industry experts as well as people affected by MND and ensures that we're funding the highest quality research that will make a difference to the MND community.

As with any challenge on this scale, there’s enough people to thank to fill a website story on their own, however a special thanks must go to Kenny, the team at Logan Sports Marketing and Zeus Events for delivering this event.

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