SCOTS OLYMPIAN Sir Chris Hoy teamed up with fellow Team GB gold medalist Dame Kelly Holmes and passionate environmentalist Ross Edgley to raise awareness of wild seas.
The trio took part in a relay race with a twist in Edinburgh, Scotland the country that Talisker whisky calls home, and the athletes triumphed over the tide in an epic triathlon.
The event also highlighted Talisker’s ongoing support of Parley for the Oceans’ marine conservation projects.
In a never-attempted challenge, the three wild spirits raced consecutively along Edinburgh’s coastline, towards Cramond Island, which sits 1.5 km off the shores of the Scottish capital.
The island is only visitable for a limited time per day, after which the causeway to access it is enveloped by the tide and Cramond’s rugged beauty becomes secluded from the city once more.
The perfect precincts for a race, the wild challenge started in the Firth of Forth, where swimming stalwart Ross Edgley dived into the waters of the famous Scottish Estuary.
Propelling himself across the 1.5km to the shore, it took Ross just 18 minutes to reach Silversands Beach, where Sir Chris Hoy was waiting.
The six time Olympic gold medalist embarked on a stunning 15.8km cycle which took him across the iconic Forth Road Bridge and along the Scottish coastline in a rapid 34 minutes to meet Dame Kelly Holmes.
A sprint until the very end, Kelly raced through the triathlon’s final 11km in an incredible 48 minutes, completing the final leg along the causeway before it was taken by the tide and leaving the three wild spirits victorious.
The three incredible athletes wanted to raise awareness for the need to protect sea kelp forests in Scotland, the athletes competed with marine ecosystems in mind.
The research, that Talisker has helped fund through their long-term partnership with Parley, is being carried out at Edinburgh-based Heriot-Watt University, who along with Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML) and the Blue Marine Foundation are undertaking independent scientific research in the Orkney Islands.
Just off the north coast of Scotland, these islands offer a remote, biodiversity-rich and abundant area of underwater kelp forests.
Setting out to help protect the magical world beneath the surface of Scotland’s waves, this scientific research aims to better understand kelp forests’ critical role in preventing climate change and the value they play in the biodiversity of Scotland’s fragile and beautiful marine ecosystems.
Native to Talisker’s home, the Isle of Skye, sea forests are prime underwater habitats which cover 25% of the world’s coastline and play a critical role in planetary health, but are vanishing four times faster than rainforests.
Parley for the Oceans and their partners will help to showcase how essential these underwater forests are and encourage greater levels of protection.
Speaking today, Dame Kelly Holmes said: “It was close but we did it. I was incredibly excited to be partnering with Talisker to undertake this epic race in the name of ocean conservation.
“The triathlon was a great challenge and I was delighted to have two legendary sportspeople on my team to race in and alongside Scotland’s beautiful waters to Cramond Island, uniting our sporting strengths to beat the tide.”
Talisker’s connection with the ocean goes back hundreds of years starting when founders, the MacAskill brothers, stepped onto the shores to set up the first distillery on the Isle of Skye.
Talisker Whisky is very much a product of its coastal home, the ocean that surrounds it has created and shaped the signature maritime and briny notes that can be tasted in its whisky today.
Consumers can support Talisker and Parley for the Oceans’ mission to help protect Scottish waters and marine ecosystems around the world by purchasing a bottle of Talisker whisky from participating Tesco stores nationwide.
For every bottle sold from 10th October to 6th November, Talisker will pledge £1 to Parley for the Oceans up to a maximum of £40,000, directly funding this important work to help preserve wild seas for generations to come.
