We did it!!!!

In an impressive time of 23.10 hours we completed the whole challenge of climbing Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike & Snowdon.

I have to say it is the hardest thing I have ever done. There were four minibus full of fellow walkers. We were divided into groups of eight, with people of similar fitness levels. I was in the 'elite' group with the fittest walkers. (OUR GROUP WERE THE ONLY GROUP TO COMPLETE THE CHALLENGE!)

However I was the only female in the pack and the guys were all very strong and competitive. I think each male wanted to be the one to get to the end first and strike an impressive course time. This meant for me we were walking at a slightly quicker pace than I am used to, so much so that I was physically sick when we reached the bottom of Ben Nevis (completed in 4.5 hours!)

However I did not let this beat me, I picked myself back up and pushed on. Scafell Pike was completed in complete darkness and pouring rain. We conquered this mountain in just under 5.5 hours, with a dramatic sprint finish from me so I could beat the rest of the team down to enable me to pay a visit as no spare time is allowed for this!

By the time we reached Snowdon my legs were burning with pain and had started to go stiff and I had maybe a total sleep time of about 2 hours. This did not stop my desire to complete the task and do my sponsors proud.

As the clock was ticking when we started this mountain it meant we had to give an extra hard push in pace. We completed it in 4 hours. I cried as I reached the summit as I was over whelmed with both pain and such a sense of achievement and I continued to cry until I reached the bottom!

I wanted to say an enormous thank you to everyone who has not only given me sponsorship but also taken the time to follow my progress and offer me support. It is the thought of all of you willing me on that carried me over the darkest times. I think you will be able to see from my pictures the shear range of emotions I went through.

This challenge has not only taught me a lot about myself it has also shown me the generosity of others. It has shown me what a wonderful group of family and friends I have.

It has shown me that you can push yourself to achieve anything you want. It has shown me that by pulling together people can make a difference but most of all it has reminded me what a fantastic husband I have, who has been brave enough to take on this challenge and walk and hold my hand every step of the way.

Stuart you amaze me, you always have, what an absolutely awe inspiring adventure we took on and conquered together. I am so very proud of you, of us, what we have, of Ollie, of Zack and everything we share together. I love you x

I decided this year that I wanted to set myself a challenge and in doing so be able to raise valuable funds for charity. So when i approached my Company Crane Care Limited and expressed my feelings they were only too willing to support me. We looked together to find something that would push me to the extremes, something for which I would really be earning my sponsorship, and so between us we decided on the following:

On September 11th 2010, I along with my husband and up to forty eight others will be undertaking 'The Three Peaks Challenge' in order to raise valuable funds for The Meningitus Trust.

I will be climbing the highest peaks in Scotland, England & Wales (Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowdon) within 24 hours.

My challenge will start at 08.00 hours on Saturday by climbing the biggest of the three mountains Ben Nevis. Ben Nevis features a steady climb, before i hit the famous zigzags. Later that day I will travel to the Lake District and Scafell Pike which I will conquer in the evening and into the night with the aid of a head torch. Scafell Pike has a long route, involving a mixture of paths and boulder fields not to mention a short scramble at the end. In the small hours I will face my final challenge of Snowdon, although the walk here is relatively easy I will by now have aching limbs and a severe lack of sleep. I will be completing all three climbs by 08.00 hours on Sunday morning.

This challenge is very arduous and will test both my mental and physical strength. Ben Nevis stands at 1344m, Scafell Pike 977m and Snowdon at 1085m giving me a approximate collective walking time of fifteen hours.

I think you will agree that The Meningitis Trust is a very worthy charity and I hope you can dig deep into your pockets and donate any spare pennies or pounds towards this appeal. If we all give a little we can make a real difference. This is my way of trying to make a little difference and with the help and support of you who knows what we can achieve!

Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

So please dig deep and donate now.

Many thanks in advance - MJ

 

A little up date -

Both Stuart and I have been training very hard in preparation for our big day, it’s fair to say that any spare time outside of work and Ollie, is being spent exercising in one way or another. A big chunk of which is running circuits and circuits of Kingsbury Water Park!

Yesterday (04/07/2010) Stuart and I completed our first practice walk at Kinder Scout, a nice four and a half hour adventure that took us up hill and down dale. We both thoroughly enjoyed it and I think it showed that we have been exercising hard, as there were no achy bones or blisters! We did get a little lost at one point but that just added to the fun.

Next weekend’s challenge is in the Lakes where a nice lengthy walk will incorporate Scafell Pike to get us used to the terrain, as we will have to do this one in the dark on the day.

Many thanks to all of you who have already donated we are both very very grateful and to new visitors to the site, please dig deep!

Love MJ & Stu x

Please Note - Stuart and I also have another web page www.justgiving.com/mj-n-stu where you can read more of our story and see other generous donations and thank you notes : - ) x

Please if you can just spend a moment having a look there in case we have mentioned you on the other page - many thanks Stu & MJ x x

 

Update - 10th July 2010 - Scafell Pike

Stuart and I have now completed our second training climb and lets just say it tested us to our limits.

The rain began to pour from the moment the first foot was placed on the mountain and it didnt stop until the last foot was removed from the mountain!

We started our climb early and it seemed we were the only crazy people who were willing to tackle the elements.

The treks and paths that would normaly be there were replaced by streams and fast flowing rivers that we have to jump and balance our way across, and yes I did have one little slip and ended up with a very wet bottom.

It has tested our equipment to the limits and certainly given me confidence in everything we have, many thanks Cotswolds Outdoors for your sound advice!

At the top we were climbing the boulder field in dark clouds, visibility was very poor (much as it will be in darkness on the big day), this accompanied by very heavy rain and 60 mile an hour winds made for a very hairy adventure.

Being only very light in weight I found that the extreme winds were knocking me off my feet and I have to admit I became very tearful at the sumit and was frightened. But this is all for a good cause and I wont let my emotions over come me - I think I will have to carry house bricks in my bag so I dont blow away on the day!

All in all it was a very good experience and has given us both even more of an appetite for the main event.

Again many thanks to you all for your very generous donations and very kind words, it is very appreciated.

As ever more running and training will follow over the coming weeks and we will update with more news real soon.

All our love Stu & MJ x x x x