Introducing Luke Schultz - Cyclist
Who are you ( name, age, where you come from)
Luke Schultz; 40 ; Johannesburg, South Africa
What is your background?
I grew up in Johannesburg, went to St Stithians College and then Rand Afrikaans University. I came to the UK in 2004 and have worked in various Engineering roles for SSE. I am a control and instrumentation engineer for SSE Renewables, working within the onshore wind division.
Why did you want to get involved in this challenge?
My wife battled through cancer a few years ago, although it's not MND, I can relate to the helplessness you feel when someone you love is going through something awful and out of your control. I want to do whatever I can to not have other people have to go through that. Raising awareness so we can raise money to fund research to beat MND is the way to do it. When my wife mentioned that Gordon Corry at her work was looking for an extra body to cycle a really long way to raise funds and awareness for MND, I thought ‘sign me up’!
How long have you been cycling?
I started cycling in 2014 when I decided on a dare to do my first Ironman - I hadn't cycled much before then so realising that my big mouth had me signed up to 112 miles on a bike before a marathon was a bit of a shock. I got the cycling bug however and since then i've done numerous events from sportives, half distance tri, and marathons, but the cycling adventure I am most proud of is when my brother and I cycled self supported from Edinburgh to Dubrovnik, one of those ideas you come up with over a beer! Despite being incredibly tough it's a set of memories we both hold dear.
What do you think will be the most challenging aspect of the trip?
There is a lot, but I think getting yourself up for your third or fourth cycle on day 8 or 9 will be tough. But if it wasn't tough it wouldn't be worthwhile.
How important is it that we keep Doddie's memory alive?
Doddie and the foundation have brought MND front and centre in the public consciousness. It's important that it continues because without the publicity you don't get funding and without funding it's unlikely we find a cure.
How important is it that we continue to raise funds for the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation?
Without funding there's no research and without research there is no cure. So I'd say it's the most important thing non-scientists can do.
What has been the most inspirational aspect of this challenge so far for you?
The people involved, I'm constantly blown away at how incredibly organised and dynamic the people around this effort are. The levels of enthusiasm are next level.
What, ultimately, do you want to come out of this?
I hope that we hit the funding target for this year and create significant momentum so that next year's effort is exponentially bigger.
