IT'S not very often that a fine sunny Saturday finds me hanging around in the centre of Edinburgh, but that was the case last week when I was invited to attend the launch of a book by Scotland's latest sporting superstar.
A certain Andrew Murray from Dunblane may well have become a household name because of his exceptional tennis, but Andrew Murray from Edinburgh has made an impressive name for himself in the less well publicised world of ultra-marathon running.
At the end of last year, he set off from a cold and inhospitable John O'Groats en route for the milder climes of Morocco. What he didn't know then was that he would have to run through some of the coldest, snowiest conditions we had seen for years, not only in the North of Scotland but throughout England and into France too.
His book, 'Running Beyond Limits' is the amazing story of that Scotland to Sahara run, which was broadcast by the BBC earlier this year.
Starting from John O' Groats, he ran all the way to the Sahara in Morocco without a single rest day.
Towards the end of the run, he was averaging in excess of an incredible 40 miles a day.
The story of the run also weaves in accounts of other extreme races in which Andrew has competed, including races in out of the way venues like Mongolia, the Himalaya and the Arctic.
Andrew began running in 2005, when he realised it might be a good way to see the world. Since then he has won numerous endurance races in all corners of the world.
As an expedition/event doctor, Andrew has worked on six continents and the geographic North Pole, where he has been able to study the effects of extreme conditions on some of the toughest athletes in the world.
It didn't take long before Andrew could start studying the effects of extreme running on himself.
The awkward camber of much of the A9 south from John O'Groats affected his Achilles tendons almost immediately - injuries that went on to be a major concern for much of the run.
Other than that there were few major physical problems, and Andrew appeared more concerned with passing on his 'Get Active' message to everyone he came across.
As a doctor, Andrew is well aware of Scotland's dreadful health statistics, and he wants to do something about it.
"Virtually all my friends wanted to run a section with me, but I realised that setting this up ad hoc could be a nightmare logistically," he told me.
"However I loved the fact that people wished to support me in this way, and they would be getting themselves fit at the same time. As a GP, one of my passions is emphasising the benefits of exercise and activity. The health gain produced by increasing activity or exercise is astonishing.
"Statistics from 2005 show that £8.2 billion could be saved by British taxpayers each year if the nation became more active.
"Amazingly, the potential benefit gained if everyone did an adequate amount of exercise would exceed the benefit if every smoker in the UK stopped. I found these figures mind-blowing.
"This was a great opportunity, if I could encourage friends, family and even people I had never met to do more activity, Scotland to Sahara could really make a difference, and improve the health of individuals and the nation.
"A call from the Scottish Government's Active Nation team was hugely encouraging. It was a great honour to give a talk on 'The Benefits of Exercise, and Challenging Yourself to reach Personal Targets' to the Active Nation team, and a bonus to receive the backing of Scotland's First Minister, Alex Salmond, who recognised the merits of emphasising this topic and wished me all the best."
'Running Beyond Limits', by Andrew Murray, is published by Mountain Media priced £19.99 and is available from www.mountain-media.co.uk
www.cameronmcneish.co.uk
