by Oliver Robinson | Oct 12, 2015 | Antarctica 2018
Two weeks to go until the final fundraising challenge of 2015: the Welsh 3000s. The team will summit the 15 highest peaks in Wales in 9 hours, travelling 42 kilometres and ascending over 3600 metres!
Split into relay teams, the first will start at Foel-fras at the Northern end of the Carneddau range in order to meet the next 11 kilometres away. The second team will cover 12 kilometres and ascend 1600 metres before handing over to the final team who will complete the route on the Summit of Mount Snowdon after 8 kilometres and 1000 metres of ascent. In total, the day will consist ofsummiting 15 mountains over 3000 feet above sea level; we’re aiming for under 9 hours on a route where most people can barely achieve 12.
Taking in well known peaks such as Carnedd Llewelyn, Tryfan and Snowdon, the Welsh 3000s is a final fling of difficulty in a year which has seen the team successful drag a tyre along a marathon route, complete 200 outdoor climbs in the Peaks and complete a half ironman on the Isle of Wight all in aid of the Motor Neurone Disease Association.
As always, you can follow our progress and updates on all the social media platforms: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube and you can help the team raise £1000 this year by sponsoring us here. Thank you for your kind support so far!
Fancy trying it yourself? See the route below:
by Oliver Robinson | Sep 14, 2015 | Antarctica 2018
This is a massive thank you to those that came and supported us, followed us through social media or sponsored us for our third challenge of 2015; the Isle of Wight half-ironman. Your continued support means we have now raised £840 for the Motor Neurone Disease Association and are well on our way to hitting the £1000 target by the end of the year! If you would like to, please sponsor the team here.
Quite frankly, the weather on August 22nd was awesome and couldn’t have been better… Setting off on the 1.2 mile swim towards Cowes, the Solent looked more like a millpond than a major shipping route, with Dave and Matt making it look as easy as pie. There can be some challenging currents in the Solent, so we would always recommend checking the tides before setting out, but today these didn’t seem to bother the guys too much. A sense of foreboding was building in Matt who was determined to see each of the disciplines to the end, whilst the rest of the team (who were attempting their own individually-set challenges), were cheering from the sidelines, preparing to mount the bicycles and get breakfast ready for a quick transition.
Awesome day for a swim…
A short hop across the chain ferry (featuring a minor marine accident with a sailing boat colliding into us and getting snagged on the chain) and the start of the round the island cycle; 67 hot and hilly miles lay ahead. It was now time for those that hadn’t swum to step up… Matt continued. If you have never attempted the ride around the island, then this definitely is worth doing. Although hilly and demanding for a sustained period (we took 4.5 hours), the speedy downs and stunning views of the island make this an unbelievably enjoyable day out. The route is fully signposted, meaning (despite a few early navigation challenges) you don’t need to have the navigation skills of a Scout to complete it.
The imposing delta wing of the Vulcan Bomber
It was a great feeling reaching the finish knowing that the team had just seen the entire island. Even better was the celebratory Vulcan Bomber flypast (OK, perhaps not specifically for the team!), which bounded overhead just on reaching Cowes. The euphoria didn’t last long though, as the reality that a half-marathon run was the next order of business suddenly dawned. Now, the transition from swimming to cycling may have been a little bit tricky, but going from a long cycle to trying to get into a running rhythm is something else. The first 30 minutes of running were hell, with the punishing heat and the beating down of the burning sun. Eventually, the route flattened out and became shaded, Matt (who was still going!) and Joe sped up to leave Adrian and Ollie (who were gearing up to stop at Newport) backmarking. Time was pressing on and the race to finish, in order to catch the ferry home was in our minds.
Newport was make or break. The team were greeted by an ever-growing group of supporters and had to make a decision; to either carry on as a team, or quit there and then and go home. Matt was physically exhausted, having been on the go for 12 hours already, and the rest couldn’t quite fathom out how to find the energy to continue. However, even if the going may have been a struggle, we had to push each other and carry on. The final 5 miles were extremely hard for everyone, but it was made easier knowing that the other teammates were there to keep spirits up. Finally, the end came in sight and the team finished with a cheer from the friends and family that had spent all day criss-crossing the island to keep up with us – what an awesome bunch! We had officially completed two-thirds of a half-ironman.
*Disclaimer: Except Matt, Matt actually completed a half ironman…
Keep checking our YouTube channel for the videos from the day! And look out for news of our next challenge, the Welsh 3000s in October.
A quick bite to eat before getting back on the bikes
by Oliver Robinson | Aug 17, 2015 | Antarctica 2018
On Saturday 22nd August the team will be completing the third challenge of the year; a half Ironman triathlon on the Isle of Wight. The team will begin by swimming 1.2 miles along the coast, cycle 67 miles around the island, and run a half marathon on top! This follows the two very successful challenges already undertaken, where the team completed a marathon dragging a tyre in 5 hours 48 minutes, and recently completed 200 climbs of the Peak District in 14 hours.
The team are inviting Scouts and the general public to join them on the cycling leg and raise some money for the Motor Neurone Disease Association along the way. If this kind of gruelling challenge on a summer’s morning interests you then please register with Dave Holmes-Evans – we will be setting off from Waitrose in East Cowes at 0900 hrs: See below map of the route – we’re going clockwise!
Please spread the word and sponsor the team as we try and raise as much cash for MNDA as we can! Likewise, if you would like to simply support the team on the day, please give us a call to see where we are on 07772101173 or meet us in East Cowes at 9!
by Oliver Robinson | Jul 29, 2015 | Antarctica 2018
The team have undergone their first serious test with the extreme cold, following arduous assessment led by Ash Willmott at the University of Brighton’s Sport and Exercise Science Consultancy Unit.
Matt chuffed with having less fat than Ollie
The series of tests were designed to measure the response of the body in the cold and is just one of a number of ways in which the team need to prepare for 70 days in the Antarctic. Surface and core body temperature were measured during periods of inactivity and basic exercise, highlighting the importance of layer management and pacing. When the body sweats more, the cold air draws the heat out much more rapidly, sweat can freeze and hypothermia is a very real danger if not properly controlled. Ensuring good circulation and insulation of the extremities (which is achieved with the use of good gloves and socks!) is vital to preventing life and limb-threatening conditions – aka frostbite.
Skin temperature, especially on the thigh and calf dropped dramatically when entering the cold chamber (set at -21oC!), giving an insight into the amount of heat that can be lost from the lower limbs. Temperatures for both Matt and Ollie dropped between 5-10oC in about 10 minutes. At -21oC. The average temperature at the pole in summer is -28oC! Conclusion, appropriate clothing on the lower body is just as important than warm layers on the top!
The guys were also dunked into the ‘ice tank’ to simulate the effect of becoming submerged in water, or falling into a crevasse. Although not much effect on core body temperature (temporarily being raised due to vasoconstriction of surface blood vessels, effectively forcing blood away from the periphery into the core as expected), it was certainly a struggle to control breathing when in water that was a seemingly tepid 12oC! The body loses heat 25 times faster in water than air.
Ollie feeling the effects of the cold water after about 20 minutes
These tests and any future experiences the team will be undertaking provides a sense of just how much preparation will be needed to condition the body to the Antarctic climate. Utilising 6000 calories per day in order to maintain body temperature, means that conserving energy and maintaining body temperature will be key factors in the team’s survival and ultimate expedition success. In time, this will also form an invaluable resource where the team can test kit and practise the routine of skiing, cooking and setting up camp; by far the three most time-consuming activities on expedition.
by Oliver Robinson | Jun 25, 2015 | Antarctica 2018
On Saturday, in 14 hours and 15 minutes, Matt and Joe conquered 200 climbs of the Peak District, thus completing the team’s second challenge of the year! Despite being near the summer solstice, the early morning mist persisted and developed into showers. Evidently, this is becoming a theme of our challenge days now; even if it was more welcome during the marathon back in March.
Setting off at 0730 at arguably the most famous crag in the National Park, Stanage Edge, the task ahead seemed, to put it mildly, daunting. Could it be possible to complete 200 of these climbs? Would we be here all day and all night? Following the pre-selected routes Joe had meticulously labelled in the book, the climbs, ranging from MOD to HVS, soon began to add up; by 0930 20 climbs had been completed and the mood was upbeat. Could Matt and Joe’s bodies tolerate the relentless thrashing they were subjecting themselves to?
Frankly, the support team were having a tough time of it too. Led by Ollie, they were running around like headless chickens just to keep up and make enough tea! By 3pm when the team had moved to Burbage, 100 climbs had been completed and it seemed like darkness would fall and this would never be complete, unfortunately Matt and Joe had to pick the pace. Luckily, the weather did clear and the final 40 climbs at Birchen were enjoyed in the setting sun. Some sudden energy provided by members of the public and HSX turning out to congratulate them, meant that by 10pm and the final climb in-hand, there was enough time to get back to the car whilst it was still light and head back to the camp for a well-deserved beer and sleep!
“It feels amazing to have completed a year’s worth of a person’s climbing in just 24hrs! This is definitely the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my climbing career and really couldn’t have done it without the support of the team! If there’s anything you attempt this year, then attempt this! – But remember to be careful in the shower afterwards, your fingers are going to burn like hell!” – Joe
“You never really know what to expect with these challenges, until you’re halfway through you don’t know how it’s going to turn out. We train hard, but that’s only half the battle. The team play a massive part on the day; without their support you couldn’t keep going for as long. It’s like a big family, when one person is down you bring them back up and all keep going. That’s what will be vital in Antarctica which these challenges help us to refine; family spirit and brotherhood.” – Matt
These challenges are all in aid of the Motor Neurone Disease Association, which provides support for sufferers of MND and their families, whilst undertaking never ending research to find a cure. Thanks go to David and Debbie Robinson who came to take photos of the team and to you all for following our progress on the challenge day and as we continue our Antarctic journey. Our next challenge will be on August 22nd, and will see the team complete a triathlon on the Isle of Wight; the largest island in England. Cycling its 64-mile circumference, running 13 miles North-South and a swim!
by Ian | Apr 1, 2015 | Antarctica 2018
So after months of training, on Sunday, three of the team (Joe, Ollie and Dave) completed the Clarendon Way marathon dragging a tyre in a time of 5 hours and 48 minutes! This was the first of the four extreme challenges we set ourselves back in January to raise money for the Motor Neurone Disease Association and certainly made all the cold and dark nights training over the winter worthwhile!
This was definitely a baptism of fire for us, since none of us had ever run a marathon before, and although they said it couldn’t be done, it just proves that with a bit of grit and determination you can achieve anything when you put your mind to it. We’d like to thank everyone that supported us along the way; to the friends and family that turned out in the wind and rain to provide a cheer or to fill us up on energy drinks, to those that have sponsored us on our challenges, in which so far we’ve raised over £700 and to those who followed us on Facebook and twitter – Thank you. The Scout leaders at South Winterslow were fantastic, even offering to make us tea (although we didn’t have enough time to drink it!) and so too was HSX’s very own Chris Slater who ran with us for 20 miles.
It really made the miles fly by knowing that there were people willing us along, and although that may sound a bit cliché, it is the honest truth! The achievement was probably best immortalised by Ollie at the finish line, proclaiming: “I’ve done a few stupid things in my life, but this takes the biscuit! Never again!” It seems hard enough to run a marathon, so it’s probably safe to say none of us will be repeating it with the added weight of a tyre ever again – but what a thing to say you’ve done!? Essentially, the reason for dragging the tyre was to show how difficult the lives are of people with Motor Neurone Disease and although difficult, we have only understood a little of the daily struggle that a sufferer must endure; we also hope that a pulk slides easier over ice, than rubber does over tarmac!
Although we will be aching for a week or two, the training doesn’t stop there, as we are already preparing for our next challenge in June; climbing 200 outdoor trad climbs in the Peak District in 24 hours. That’s right, non-stop – without sleep. Keep up-to-date with the blog or go to Twitter and Facebook to see how we’re getting on. There’s time to sponsor us for any and all of the challenges throughout the year at: https://mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/antarctica, but for now, please enjoy the photos of the marathon day.
[Photos courtesy of David Robinson]
