The Leith Legends (aged 60-95) who virtually walked the 3,070-mile distance from Edinburgh to Boston have returned to their starting point at Easter Road Stadium.
Since January the group have been recording their distance walked at locations around the city, attempting to virtually reach Boston before Scotland’s first game at the FIFA World Cup. The group walked their final mile from Edinburgh Castle to the Scottish Parliament Building on Thursday 11 June.
The Leith Legends have received hundreds of messages of support from people in Scotland and around the world after completing their ‘March to the Match’ the same day that thousands of football fans flew to Boston.
In recognition of their achievement, the group were invited to a reception at Easter Road Stadium, greeted by a bagpiper as they disembarked from their team bus. The celebration was made more special when the Leith Legends met Hibernian legend John “Yogi” Hughes, who presented them with certificates.
“What an effort by the Leith Legends!” said Yogi. “It’s truly a remarkable achievement to have virtually walked all the way to Boston, and I know people at home and over watching in the States will be incredibly proud of them.
I miss playing football, I miss it every day. But what I miss most about football is the friendship, the band of brothers, the sense of purpose, getting up in the morning, and being a leader. Having met a few of the Leith Legends today and in the last few months, I’ve seen all of these things. Well done on a fantastic achievement.”
John Hughes was recently announced as an ambassador for the Hibernian Community Foundation, the official charity of Hibernian FC, and in his role will support at events across Edinburgh and Scotland, championing the services, programmes, and achievements of HCF and its many partners.
Maureen Combe who leads the Sheltered Housing Team at Harbour Homes said: “The enthusiasm and team spirit that our tenants have brought to this challenge is what made it so special.
“They lived up to the name of ‘Leith Legends’ and brought a smile to hundreds if not thousands of people who followed the story of their final mile.”
In completing the challenge, the Leith Legends walked a combined distance of just over 3,070 miles in 140 days, at a pace of around 22 miles per day. This equates to a combined total of 17,048,303 steps taken by the group.
