8,849m of elevation. 20 laps of Pen y Fan. 128km. 102kg carried between us.

This is my next challenge for My Name’5 Doddie Foundation.

I’ve never been personally affected by MND, but I think it’s one of the cruellest diseases there is, for what it takes away from you. It doesn’t get nearly enough funding, so progress towards a cure is far too slow.

So I was very sad when I heard Lewis Moody had been diagnosed with it. I’ve watched and admired him for most of my life, and it felt weirdly close to home. He’s a real hero of mine, as I’m sure he is for most English rugby fans. This challenge is a tribute to him.

The aim is simple: carry Lewis Moody’s playing weight, 102kg, the height of Everest. Last year it was box step ups. This time it’s a mountain, Pen y Fan in South Wales, and roughly four times the weight.

Nobody can carry 102kg up a mountain on their own, so I’m building a team.

I’m carrying a fifth of it, around 21kg, for the whole thing. That’s 20 laps, and at 2 to 3 hours a lap it’s likely 40 to 60 hours of work, maybe more. The team shares the other 81kg. Split between 10 people that’s about 8kg each. Split between 20 it’s about 4kg.

It’s going to be hard, and it has to be. The weight we carry is nothing compared to the burden of living with MND.

Every penny goes to My Name’5 Doddie Foundation, set up by Doddie Weir in 2017 after his own diagnosis. It funds research into treating MND and supports people living with it.

Our target as a team is £10,000. Anything you can give gets us closer.

Here’s to one day finding a cure for motor neurone disease.