My son (Isaiah, 22yrs) and I are running the last ever 'Man vs Mountain' in September 2023. This course will start at Caernarfon Castle and weave its way through the Welsh valleys and up to the summit of Snowden. Once at the peak we then run down through the Dinorwic Quarry where the Rat Race team have set up multiple obstacles including a vertical kilometre (no idea what to expect with that) and then a 'Walk the Plank' quarry jump.

This is a 1 Day event covering 22 miles - Details of the race itself can be found here

Why are we doing this? Well, he didn't have a choice as I felt that this could be a good 'father/son' bonding exercise but it is for a good cause. His sister (my daughter) Niamh, is a member of a local Martial Arts Club (Matrix Martial Arts). Matrix has recently registered with the British Martial Arts & Boxing Association (BMABA) and is working towards 'Sports England' Accreditation also. The club has also won funding from the local council and inaugural 'Glossopdale SOUP' project which will allow it to offer training sessions during the day for young people who are excluded from school or experiencing difficulties with their education.

The clubs ethos is around inclusion, self-development and confidence, it enforces a notion of respect and links all of this back to how the student should behave not only in the dojo but also on the street and (where applicable) in class at school. Poor behaviour is addressed and where progression and respect are not maintained in school and are fed back into the club so that the continued link between learning, understanding and behaviour can be maintained.

As a result of their efforts in their classes and gradings, all students are entered onto the UK Register of Martial Arts . Once on the register, a unique student grade record for life is assigned to each student (young or old).

In addition to all of the above, the club offers opportunities for its members to learn First Aid and get involved in other instructor/training initiatives to help encourage learning and, provide the student with valuable skill sets that they can take with them. As part of this wider initiative, the club has recently run two First Aid courses. the first focussing on CPR in conjunction with Blue Watch Fire Service in Hyde , whilst the second (with Dark Peak Safety Training) being more around the day to day skills required such as how to deal with burns, cuts, grazes, seizures and broken bones.

The aim of the 'Go Fund Me' is to raise enough money to buy a portable, child friendly Defibrillator which can be taken between the HQ and wider venues, and, as someone who suffered a heart attack in 2016 at the age of 35, this is something that is important to me.