Well, we did it, and it was way tougher that we had imagined!! Matt has written a great overview (below) of our suffering which we hope you enjoy. Just to say thank you for all the donations to date. The page is staying open for a couple more months and any further donations would be hugely appreciated. The guys at MNDA do an amazing job in helping to raise money for this terrible disease so a huge thank you to them for giving us the opportunity to help their cause.
"Dear all,
There are some things that you do in life which are best approached with a high degree of ignorance. Therefore, if anyone is planning on taking part in the 24 hour 3 peak challenge, hit that delete button now!
Given your generosity, I thought the least I could do is pass on the story of the 10 of us that started the challenge as boys in Scotland and ended it as men in the Welsh hills (I should warn you now that this level of cheesy narrative does not get any better).
The alarm clock chirped us into consciousness at 6am on a cloudy Scottish Fort William morning, in little over an hour the countdown timer would start and we would no longer be thinking in 'am' and 'pm' but simply in hours and minutes remaining. Shower, toilet, change, breakfast, toilet, taxi, stretches, toilet, photos and then the quiet…that couple of seconds when 10 boys looked collectively at the challenge ahead - no turning back now!
The early pace was set on what we all now affectionately call "the Ben," with only 2 stops: one to take on some fuel (jelly babies), and; two to haul on the waterproofs as cloud, rain and mist merged into a wet reminder that we were on the UK's highest peak. A shrouded summit ensured a quick turn around and after a couple of handshakes and high fives we were soon cantering back down the mountain, stumbling into our awaiting minibus after a little over 4 hours of the challenge had passed.
After 6 hours of motorways, country lanes, eating, drinking, stretching, deep heat, plasters and jelly babies we clambered out of the bus at the foot of England's highest peak, Scafell Pike. The walk involved an initially gentle incline, hugging the tree line and skirting a jet blue lake, after which the rocks became more jagged, the hill steeper and the weather increasingly inclement. It was through gritted teeth and an inability to be the first of the lads to say "can we take a break, my feet hurt" that we managed to heave our weary bodies to the top. Following, a quick photo, some half hearted high fives and the obligatory slug of Lucozade Sport we hit the trail that would deliver us back to the lake and trees that were but a memory. We managed to slip, slide and stumble our way to the now not so blue lake just as darkness fell; head torches were donned.
The final descent from the lake can best be described as ice skating in boots. With limited visibility, and in some areas no grip, the pace slowed (to zero in my case for a couple of seconds after I went head over heals). However, after a relentless 4 and ¾ hours we returned to the minibus for 4 long sleepless and lonely hours of trying to find a comfortable position whilst driving to the last mountain…Snowdon.
At 3 in the morning or at around '19 hours' on our trusty 24 hour countdown we were spat out of the bus and onto Snowdon's inclines for our pitch black ascent to Wales' highest point. It may have been the fact it was the last mountain or it may have been the massive sugar intake but we set off in pretty good spirits and soon found ourselves halfway to the top, albeit the idle chatting that had accompanied us previously had been largely replaced with the sound of grinding teeth and heavy breathing. Nevertheless we had a challenge to complete and all reserves were drawn on (both adrenaline and yes some more jelly babies) to reach the top and reach the top we did. Hugging, photos and a couple handshakes later we started on the descent. The plan had always been to crack the 24 hours, however, upon checking the 'real time' clock we saw that we had a chance at a sub-23 hour time. Therefore, we allowed a little caution to be blown away with the Welsh wind and struck up a muscle straining, blister bursting down hill pace.
We hobbled, stumbled and crawled our way back to the bus in a mountain time of 3 1/2 hours which meant the challenge had been completed in total time of 22 hours and 52 minutes. We had done it!
This was an unforgettable experience and whilst I will gladly revisit the mountains we climbed I have vowed never to have another jelly baby in my life!
Finally, I must say a massive thank you to all that sponsored us. Motor Neurone Disease is a shocking and terrible disease and every penny raised really does change peoples lives and if the 6 thousand pounds plus we raised helps those families affected then each and every sore muscle is worth it."
Thanks for visiting our fundraising page.
The challenge - climb the three highest mountains, respectively, in each of Scotland, England and Wales (Ben Nevis, Scafell and Snowdon) within 24 hours. In hard facts, that's 9,700 feet total ascent, 22 miles of walking and 450 miles of driving.
Not easy, but with lots of training and a lorry load of lucozade, we hope to be able to achieve our goal.
We are taking up the challenge in aid of Motor Neurone Disease (MND). The disease is terminal and claims the lives of more people each day in the UK than AIDS. Life expectancy with MND is just 2-5 yrs with more than half succumbing to the illness within 14 months. Unfortunately little is known about the disease which affects the lives of so many people and their families, and as a result receives very little, and much needed funding.
Please feel free to sponsor us for as little or as much as you can. Every penny counts and is much appreciated no matter how large or small the amount. Your donations will certainly give us an extra push as the sleep deprivation kicks in!
If you would like to read more information about MND, please visit www.mndassociation.org
Donating through Justgiving is quick, easy and totally secure. It’s also the most efficient way to sponsor us: Motor Neurone Disease Association gets your money faster and, if you’re a UK taxpayer, Justgiving makes sure 25% in Gift Aid, plus a 3% supplement, are added to your donation.
So please sponsor us now!
