Can they conquer the 3 highest mountains in under 24 hours!?
Time: Under 24 hours
Event details: On July 6th 2012, a team of Somerset Group members and supporters are attempting the famous Three Peaks Challenge to raise money and awareness for Breakthrough Breast Cancer.
The men, all from Somerset, will be pushing their bodies to the limit as they aim to climb Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Mount Snowdon all in the space of 24 gruelling hours.
The attempt was kick started by Group member Iaine Selway when he decided to embark on the challenge in memory of his wife Julie who lost her battle with Breast Cancer 2 years ago aged 35.
Former Somerset Group member Julie was the inspiration for Julies Legacy, which helps promote Breakthrough’s TLC awareness campaign (see our Julie's Legacy article in the 2011 archive).
Once Iaine announced his plans, he was soon joined by friends & family and the training began!
Above left to right: Dave Godfrey, Chris Curtis, Rob Anthony (driver), Marc Selway, Alan Tait (looking flushed), Giles Mason, Andy Farkas, Iaine Selway, and Eugene Martin (this pic was taken at the base of Scafell Pike before a training climb on May 12th).
Although the challenge has been done many times before, the team (with an average age of 40) is under no illusions just how hard it will be.
Group member Marc explained... “Even though we are all reasonably fit and active, most of the lads are novices when it comes to hill & mountain walking. We all know this challenge will be a huge test of physical & mental endurance, so we’re not underestimating it in any way. If it was easy then it wouldn’t be worth doing, but we’re determined to beat the 24 hour limit and raise as much money and awareness for Breakthrough as possible.”
Fellow group member Eugene added... “As much as our drivers Rob and Ivan were tempted by the prospect of being racked with severe pain and exhaustion on a cold windswept mountainside, someone has to drive the bus and rustle up some coffee for when we get back down! But all joking aside, the support crew will be invaluable on the day and if we can complete all three peaks within 24 hours, it will be an amazing team effort and achievement. The horrid disease touches the lives of far too many people, so everyone who supports the team can know they are helping work towards a future free from the fear of Breast Cancer.”
The team have already received kind offers from local companies and individuals, but would truly love to raise as much money as they can.
If anyone would like to donate then please visit Iaine's justgiving page below:
www.justgiving.com/somersetallsorts
Alternatively, if you think you can help the team in any other way, even if its just a good luck message then do please email SomersetBreakthrough@Gmail.com
For those of you on Twitter, the team hope to tweet their progress as they go, so please follow our group account @BreakthroughSom
Over the next few weeks we'll be updating this page with snippets of their training progress - here's a pic of the team at the summit of Scafell Pike during a training weekend in May:
They are currently hiking around the hills of Somerset about twice a week and are planning to climb the 'Somerset 5 Peaks' on the same morning one weekend soon (Brean Down, Crooks Peak, Brent Knoll, Glastonbury Tor and Burrow Mump).
We'll also be updating the page with a list of local business and supporters who are making this attempt possible, as a way of recognising their contribution and support of the team and the Somerset Breakthrough Cancer Group.
Thanks for reading!
Training Update
Training Update - Two Weeks To Go
Kind Sponsors Of The Challenge
