Endurance star Caroline Livesey is hoping the Scottish weather plays its part as she continues preparations for her North Coast 500 world record attempt next month.

Having spent many hours and many miles in the saddle building up to her 830km (516 miles) non-stop challenge, she admits that a helping hand will be required from the weather gods and is keeping a close eye on the forecasts.

The North Coast 500 challenge will see her bid to complete the route in under 35 hours, maintaining an average speed of 24kph (15mph) on what she fully accepts are some of the toughest roads – and potential conditions – to ride in the UK.

The ultimate road trip

Regarded as one of the world’s ultimate road trips, the route starts and finishes in the city of Inverness and takes in some truly stunning coastal scenery in places such as Applecross and Achmelvich in the west and Durness and Duncansby Head in the north on a clockwise tour of Great Britain’s most northerly regions.

Her goal is to claim the world record for a supported female, ratified by WUCA and Guinness World Records.

It is a huge challenge, but one which is being driven by a desire to raise funds and awareness for her own Peak Education Nepal charity, which she founded with her husband, Mark, to provide children who cannot afford it with the opportunity to get an education.

“I have just under four weeks to go,” she told TRI247. “Training has gone really well. I am very surprised by how well my body has adapted to long days on the TT bike.

“My biggest worry was the shoulders and neck giving up, so I have been doing a lot of specific strength work in the gym, and it seems to be paying off. I completed what will be my longest training ride just over a week ago – 420kms.

“That is half the distance for the NC500, and I made sure it had more elevation than I will face. I had a crew for that day, and I practised changing bikes as I will for the record (onto the road bike for some of the climbs).”

Delighted with how her training has been progressing, she is now putting the final touches to her prep as the June start date rolls around.

‘Gives me a lot of confidence’

“The long training run went really well; I learnt some useful things, as did the crew, and it gives me a lot of confidence for the record,” she said. “I was 90 minutes ahead of the schedule I have set myself. However, it’s Scotland and bike riding, and anything can happen.

“The weather will play a huge role, and of course, there are always mechanical things that can happen. So while I think it is possible, I also know that for it to happen, everything has to go right on the day(s).

“Now the training will be lower volume to give me time to freshen up and a better chance to stay healthy going into the record. In general, I am just hugely excited, and seeing how much the fundraiser is already gaining momentum is hugely motivating for me.”

When she announced the record attempt in January, Caroline explained why she chose this specific task.

“I wanted something that was on the very edge of what I think is possible for me, something iconic that will capture people’s imagination, and a challenge I have a personal connection with,” she said. “This route in the extreme north of my homeland ticks all the boxes. It’s going to test every single part of me, all the skills I have spent a lifetime developing.”

Stunning run of success

Livesey has enjoyed a stunning recent period of success, which began in December 2024, when she became the first athlete to win the world’s most extreme triathlon, the Patagonman XTRI, twice.

She followed that up in 2025 by winning the first-ever UCI Gravel World Series bike race in Thailand – at the Dustman in Kanchanaburi – and she was also crowned the inaugural winner at the Scottish National Gravel Bike Championships.

You can read more about the Peak Education Nepal charity on their website HERE.