Peter, Wade, Natalia and Brian's 'Mountain and Chicken' Challenge - 6 June 2010

Peter Docker is raising money for The Hunger Project Trust

“Peter Docker's fundraising”

on 8 May 2010

Story

A mountain and a chicken.

“So, what’s the connection?” you might ask. Well, it’s quite straight-forward really.

There I was, a few weeks ago, sitting in the London office Brainstorm for Raising Money for The Hunger Project session and felt that ideas were a bit slow coming forth. Me being me, I thought I would stir it up a bit and so thrust my hand in the air (I know, not entirely necessary, but I felt the urge) and said:

“How about I run up Snowdon dressed as a chicken?”

Now, at this juncture, there are a couple of things you really ought to know. The first, since we’re an international company and I shouldn’t assume knowledge, is that Snowdon is a mountain. Well, sort of. We’re a bit short of those in the UK, you understand, so we have to fall back on the geographical definition of a mountain which goes something like: a lump of ground that extends in elevation over 3000 feet above sea level; or words to that effect. I may have made up ‘lump’. Snowdon sneaks in at 3560 feet – or 1085 metres for our APAC, MEast and Africa colleagues. So, it’s not huge by American standards, but it is in Wales so I’m reliably informed by Sandra Salazar’s other half that that makes it special. And indeed it is – a beautiful climb, especially when it’s not in cloud. Which is rare.

The second thing you ought to know is that I was joking. Trouble is, these things have a habit of creating a life of their own (anyone recall the sauna incident?) and suddenly everyone was coming up with bright ideas – largely, it has to be said, to do with the chicken (that must say something about the people in the London office….). Somebody (I think Steve Williams – thanks mate) suggested that someone else should dress up as an egg “Then”, he said like a man who had just had a eureka moment “you can see which came first – the chicken or the egg!” Very funny, Steve.

So, it seems that my fate is sealed. I have enrolled 3 of my gym buddies to run up there with me – although they have never done it before, let alone dressed as a chicken. I actually haven’t broken the news to them yet (2 other guys and a girl) about the idea that I will be the chicken, one of them can be the egg, a third a chick (I’ll let you figure out whether that’ll be a boy or a girl) and lastly a fox. Well, someone has to keep the pace up :-)

Now the serious stuff. As well as a 3500 foot climb, the distance up the Pyg Track and down the Miner’s Track (the names kinda give it away that it’s in Wales, don’t they?) is around 8 miles or 13km. I used to be quite familiar running up hills, but I have been off running for around 8 months with a sports injury, so I won’t have trained for this. Consequently, it might sting a bit. Also, I have the safety of my companions to think about: Snowdon claims about 11 lives a year and the weather can be very changeable. You’re hot when you’re running, but as soon as you stop the windchill can kick in quickly. I will therefore run with a pack on my back with survival equipment, including a sleeping bag, and a first aid kit. I will also be planning carefully and checking the mountain forecasts closely. I usually run solo – with appropriate safety measures – and taking an inexperienced group up a mountain is a different challenge. The safety side will also limit the degree of costumes that can be worn: I wear some quite ‘technical’ clothing for this sort of thing (it’s not hugely attractive, but it does the job) and a load of feathers or egg shells might hinder its performance somewhat…

Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page. Remember, this is in aid of The Hunger Project and JMJ's commitment to the development of an Epicentre in Ghana.

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.

UPDATE: My fellow runners have confirmed, so now this page is for them too! They are: Natalia Carvalho (aka The Chick); Brian Stewart (aka The Fox); and Wade Byrne (aka The Egg - although he doesn't quite know this yet!)

NEW! UPDATED! Inspired by Kathryn Schindler's quote "There's nothing more determined than poultry with a plan", now watch the movie here! - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBPXVknON-4

LATEST! ! INSTANT GRATIFICATION ASSURED!!!

"How so?" you may ask…

Well, it’s all about Mountains and Chickens. And Chicks. And Eggs. And Foxes.

You see, I am now in the final throes of my intense preparation to run up the mountain known as Snowdon – dressed as a chicken.　 Admittedly, this does involve a degree of quiet contemplation about the task ahead, sat in the Cotswold countryside enjoying part of the 3-day period we quaintly term ‘Summer’ here in Britain.

The mountain weather forecast for our run is predictably dismal: cloud and drizzle interspersed with bursts of heavy rain and poor visibility. So, it seems likely that me feathers will get damp – but not so our spirits, hurrah!

I, together with the Egg, the Chick, and the Fox will stay over Saturday night at a local Youth Hostel (I know, I know – spare me the jokes) where we shall gird our loins (a full description of what this means is included below, together with how this is done, for those who have a freaky interest…) which apparently is a very British thing to do under these circumstances, before launching up the rock on Sunday morning.

So, how about this instant gratification I promised?　 Well, now is your opportunity – if you haven’t done so already – to sponsor me and my curious colleagues. We’ve raised over £800 so far towards a target of £1000 – all for The Hunger Project, which is tremendous.　 Could you help to push us over the 4 figures? Go on. Do it. And feel the instant gratification that comes with giving 

Just click on this link and you can make your donation in any currency: http://www.justgiving.com/Peter-Docker

A full report will follow.　 If you would like a side-bet on whether the Chicken, Egg, Chick or Fox will come first, or if we can successfully carry a real egg up and down Snowdon, then please let me know.　 And before anyone suggests it, I won’t be carrying a live chicken on the run – too messy.

Thanks for reading – and to all those who have so far sponsored me!

Peter

The Meaning of ‘Girding one’s loins’

If you’re still reading, it’s entirely possible you need professional help

To ‘gird your loins’ during the Roman Era meant to draw-up and tie your lower garment between your legs as to increase your mobility and agility. This prevented the loose ends of the tunic from becoming snagged on something or entangled with your feet which would cause you to stumble or fall down when moving about quickly.

How to gird your loins:

This was accomplished by pulling up the fabric of the knee-length tunic so the length in front stopped at your upper thigh, and collecting the excess material in your front. (You pull the material forward so the back of your tunic is snug against your backside.) Next, you tuck the extra front material down between your legs and gather it behind you. At this point, you collect half of the material behind you evenly on each side of your back (left and right). The final step involves wrapping each side of the material around your waist and tying it together in front. Kinda paints a picture, dunnit?