Councillor and former professional boxer Jim Montgomerie is a proud Saltcoats man born and bred.
His family have owned and run the Victoria bar in Saltcoats for over an impressive 50 years, since his Dad retired Jim took
the realm, (mind you where he finds the time we'll never know). Sport has been very much in the forefront of Jims
upbringing as his brother was a footballer, both his daughters are high end amateur tennis players, his Dad was a
boxer, infact boxing goes back generations in the Montgomerie family.
Living on the windy Ayrshire coast, you'd think former boxer Jim Montgomerie would be used to running in harsh
conditions. The super fit Scot can regularly be seen running from his Saltcoats home all the way up to Greenock.
You need to be a hardy soul to enjoy a 28-mile trek like that. But for Jim, it feels like a stroll in the park.
That's because the publican has made a habit of running ultra marathons in the most extreme of conditions - in his kilt.
Jim, nicknamed the Running Kilt by fellow athletes, moved onto racing in Rio De Janeiro, Antarctica and Sydney.
And if that wasn't enough he decided to cover 1056 miles from John o Groats to Lands End, completing it in an
outstanding 11 days 16hrs and 25mins!!! A truly remarkable achievement with everyone supporting him every step of
the way!
Jim has trained since he was really young along with his Dad, making him the super fit bionic man he is today! Jim
turned his back on a promising career as a lightwelterweight after the death of close pal and fellow boxer James
Murray. Murray suffered a brain haemorrhage during his British bantamweight title fight against Drew Docherty in
1995. Fans rioted as paramedics tried to help the stricken boxer. He was taken to hospital but surgery failed to save
him.
Jim had turned professional and won his first two fights, but that was before James died. He'd just got married at the
time and just didn't feel the same afterwards. As he owned the family pub Jim didn't have to box to pay the mortgage
like a lot of the boys, so he stopped fighting.
Jim later starred in a BBC Scotland Promo with Nic Nairn, which led to him starring with Daniel Craig in the Trench,
then with Ewan Mcgregor in Young Adam, Jet Lee, Morgan Freeman, Bob Hoskins in Unleashed, (which the fight
scenes were choreographed by Jim himself)!
He'd been brought up in a boxing gym since he was five and had a gym above the bar, so he wanted to stay in shape.
He'd never really thought about running, but his wife suggested it and he tried it out.
It just snowballed from there. "Snowballed" is the right word.
Jim began his quest by running the New York Marathon in aid of Guide Dogs for the Blind in 2003.
He heard about the North Pole Marathon but it got cancelled in 2005, so he entered a marathon on the Great Wall of
China and nothing could quite prepare him but he found it completely thrilling and the kilt went down a treat with the
locals too! Jim lost count the amount of photos taken that day.
Jim often bumped into familiar faces at his marathons and all obviously recognising him as the kilt wearing Scot, and
that's when his nickname 'Running Kilt' really took off.
But Jim doesn't compete as a true Scotsman, Extreme weather, sand and ice, not to mention the threat of chaffing,
make underwear a must. It was around the time of the Great Wall race that Jim hit upon the idea of running the eight
marathons needed to join the Grand Slam Club. He chose a different charity for each race, and has raised thousands
thanks to sponsorship from regulars at his pub.
Jim's entry for the North Pole Marathon had been carried over into 2006, and he'd finally got the London Marathon
done, which meant he'd already run marathons in North America, Europe and Asia. So the next task was to find one in
Africa. He ran 75 miles in the Sahara Desert in Tunisia, and then three weeks later it was the North Pole Marathon,
where he ran 30 miles.
Phenomenally that makes him one of only three people to have run an ultra marathon at the North Pole, so quite an
achievement. Jim is also now a member of the Hot And Cold Club, having run marathons in the Sahara and at the
North Pole in four weeks. As he ploughed through the alien landscapes of the Sahara and the Arctic, seeing nothing
but sand or snow, he had no idea that he'd broken a bone in his foot. It happened when he was running in the Sahara
on the third or fourth day. Jim initially thought that it was just a bad stave, but it was actually a small stress fracture.
But the bionic man that he is, he kept running, and then headed up to the North Pole and started that marathon.
For the first 24 miles, his foot was very, very sore. But he just gritted his teeth and got on with it, and by the time he
reached 26 miles, he literally couldn't feel his feet. The doctor eventually ordered him to stop when he reached 30
miles. He felt okay to go on, and it was only when he stopped that he realised how bad a condition he was in. Jim
visited his own doctor straight from the plane home, and he sent him straight to hospital where the X-ray revealed a
broken bone.
And while you might imagine that the searing heat of the desert would be the stiffest test for a runner, it was the year
before, Jim took the family to Lapland to see Santa and thought he'd take his running gear and do a run while he was
up there. The temperature was -31C, it's so cold and can feel like you're breathing in fire, and as soon as you put
goggles on they freeze up. But he was actually very fortunate at the North Pole as the temperature was only between
-23C and -28C, and there was no wind. The only problem was that it snowed for the first four hours of the race, so
visibility was zero. Wearing snowshoes was also a different experience as it means you have to lift your legs higher.
It's like having tennis rackets on your feet.
Jim then decided to set up his Scottish based IMC charity in North Ayrshire and the main purpose being to provide relief to those in need by reason of age, ill health, disability, financial hardship or other disadvantage. The Project is open to all.
The immediate objective is to provide a new community boxing gym and fitness facility which will relieve the
conditions of life and vulnerability of young people affected by crime, poverty, exclusion, isolation, lack of self
esteem, direction, purpose and education. With your support and funding the organisation will teach the community
focus, drive, determination and a will to succeed through inspiration and motivation.
Boxing has opened so many doors for Jim and it's fair to say he did have a hard start in life and did go off the rails somewhat. But with sheer determination he has continued to succeed and achieve greatness resulting in becoming a fantastic role model to the kids in the area.
Jim feels there is too much pressure on youngsters at School to get their education, as we all develop at different
stages in life. Leaving school without an education doesn't mean your life is over, it just means you've taken a slightly
different path from most. Being told time and again by your peers at school, that you'd never amount to anything is so
wrong on so many levels! At the Project Jim welcomes all kids from all walks of life with open arms and strives to
help each and everyone of them reach their goals. Every young kid whose passed through his doors and completed
their time with the project have gone onto to succeed in life. Sadly all too often we see kids hanging around on street
corners with nothing to do, whether it's because they don't have financial means to do things or there just isn't
anything in the area for them to do.
At IMC if parents can't afford to pay for their childs training, the child won't be turned away, Jim will take all that
responsibility and ensure every child benefits from IMC regardless of their situation.The youngsters will get
opportunities through the Project that they would never otherwise get living in the three towns.
Understandably not all youngsters want to box, its not for everyone, but everyone will enjoy the training, the discipline,
the respect and the positivity the project has to offer. Positivity works wonders!
A positive attitude helps you cope more easily with the daily affairs of life. It brings optimism into your life, and makes
it easier to avoid worries and negative thinking. If you adopt it as a way of life, it can bring constructive changes into
your life, and make you happier, brighter and more successful. For Jim, failure simply isn't an option.
Jim heads off to Everest in May to help raise funds for his new charity and God willing will return back home early June. He intends on seeing how far up he can get then, go for a run and if possible reach the summit. Jim won't be too disappointed if he doesn't reach the top as his main goal is to simply go for a run on the mountain. It's something he's wanted to do for a very long time but just didn't feel mentally strong enough, until he found his faith. It does seem a bit odd doesn't it when you look at everywhere he's been but since becoming a devout Christian, it has totally turned his life around in many different ways. Am sure you'll all agree the lord will guide Jim and lead him to where he needs to be.
Please show your support by donating whatever you can.
https://www.gofundme.com/inspire-motivate-celebrate-scio-sc