85-year-old woman cycled for over 1,500 km to cope with grief after losing 3 kids

For Mavis Paterson, cycling was a way to find solace and a way for her to cope with the unimaginable loss. (Image credit: @maviscycle/Instagram)

Mavis Paterson, 85, lost all three of her adult children within four years of each other -- Sandy in 2012, Katie in 2013, and Bob in 2016. It's to deal with the grief and in their memory that “Granny Mave," as she is better known, took up cycling in May.

By October, the Scotland resident cycled for more than 1,500 km, tracing the outline of the country.

“If I didn’t have my bicycle, and this is terrible to say, I don’t think I would want to live,” she told CNN Sport. “To lose your complete family, it’s just unbelievable. My daughter once said, because one of her friends had died, and she said: ‘Oh mum, imagine losing a child.’ I said: ‘I know. I couldn’t imagine it.’ All mine have gone.”

For Paterson, cycling was a way to find solace and a way for her to cope with the unimaginable loss. Every day for a month, she would get up early and cycle tracing Scotland's circumference braving through its undulating landscape and unpredictable weather. Paterson would cover about 80 km each day, the publication reported.

Another thing that kept her going was a charity that she supports. The journey across the country also helped the grandmother raise funds for British-based charity Macmillan Cancer Support.

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A post shared by Granny Mave (Mavis Paterson) (@maviscycle)

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Paterson also shared that while she set out on the journey alone, other cyclists kept coming out to give her company from different regions of the country, some even cycled with her for several days.

“It’s been hard for me, but I’ve managed and people say, ‘Oh, you’re strong,’ and I don’t know where the strength comes from,” she told CNN Sport. “They ask me. I don’t know. I cope, my bike helps and I’ve got wonderful friends.”

The immense support that Paterson garnered culminated in a crowd cheering her on as she neared the finish line to complete tracing the country's circumference.

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A post shared by Granny Mave (Mavis Paterson) (@maviscycle)

“And in the middle of (the crowd), I’ve got a grandson who’s 6-foot-3-inches, and I saw him, and I just ran towards him and it was just so exhilarating,” she said, before adding that she celebrated her achievement with a glass of wine.

Read more: 81-year-old best friends travelled the world in 80 days, had an 'amazing view' of Taj Mahal