It was tough working out who inspired whom in a fundraiser on Saturday.
Mr Riley, 21, wanted to do something for his mother, who was left paralysed just under eight years ago when she was thrown from a horse.
As he had torn his medial collateral ligament and posterior cruciate ligament at rugby training a few months ago, a run was out of the question. He decided to work out on a skierg on Saturday and ski the equivalent of 100km at Compound Gym to help raise money for the CatWalk Trust.
The trust is dedicated to funding research into a cure for spinal cord injuries.
He rocked up, raised his arms and started his 100km journey.
"It’s just like pulling on two poles all day. I think I got in at about 9hr 48min. The last 20km was pretty tricky but then I had a few people come through to support," he said.
"Yeah, the last 20km was horrible. A fair bit of pain. But I had my parents there and my mum, so they pushed me through.
"It was unreal when I did it. Pretty incredible. The plan was to get to 50km and have a break, then 25km and another break and then knock it off. But that last 25km — that was tough.
"I had a beer straight after it and I was sipping it through a straw — couldn’t really lift my arms up."
The university club loose forward said his mother, Bid Riley, had always inspired him but doubly so since her accident.
"It was obviously pretty tough the first couple of years but she’s a pretty determined lady. She doesn’t really take no for an answer, so it makes it easy for us."
Mrs Riley said her son did so well.
"It is very inspiring watching a young fella like that. He had a big challenge ahead of him. But he is a very determined boy. When he gets something in his head he makes sure he will finish it," Mrs Riley said.
She and husband Andy Riley were right behind their son, working hard beside him at one stage to reach the end.
She did about 20km, while her husband did 30km beside him, as the 100km target came near.
With the 100km ticked off, he vowed he would "never touch that machine again".
Originally from Rangiora, he was finishing honours in neuroscience at the University of Otago this year and hoped to start a PhD at an Australian university next year. He made about $14,000 for the trust from his efforts.
