A colleague with a head for heights succeeds in his Three Peaks Challenge – well done!
Personal account by Stuart Milan:-
“This August bank holiday myself and four friends took it upon ourselves to attempt the Three Peaks Challenge. This challenge involves walking the highest mountains in Scotland, England and Wales all within 24 hours, but we decided to try and run it.
We had to delay our start slightly due to torrential rain but when we were off our route involved the Pyg track and then down the Miners. We managed to run about two thirds of the way up before we had to slow down on a steep section that took us through the cloud and then all the way to the top. The summit of Snowdon was reached in an amazing one hour 30 minutes.
Top of Snowdon - Three Peaks Challenge August 2011
After a brief stop for food we headed back down. Snowdon was competed in two hours thirty five minutes. So a quick change of clothing and we headed for Scafell Pike, the highest mountain in England. One down, two to go!
Half way down Snowdon - Three Peaks Challenge August 2011
After a four hour drive we reached the base of Scafell. Two minutes into our run the rain fell again, but this time a bit harder. As the Scafell route wasn’t the easiest to run when dry this made running impossible so we were reduced to a quick walk. When we reached the summit we were greeted with a larger clap of thunder and a bolt of lightning. This encouraged us to get to the bottom as quick as we could, taking care not to slip or trip as the decent had to be done in the dark. Scafell Pike was done 3 hours seventeen minutes. Two down with only one to go – time to head for Ben Nevis.
Ben Nevis is normally the first mountain in this challenge, because it’s the highest and most challenging. So when we arrived at the base of Nevis at half past four in the morning after a five hour drive I wondered what we were doing leaving it until last. We were all shattered at this point as none of us had and proper sleep due to sharing the driving, but we set off up the mountain at five in the morning doing a very slow jog. After a three hour slog we finally made it to the top. It was freezing and blowing a gale so we head straight back down. The run down was good, but everyone’s knees and ankles were now starting to suffer big time due to the constant impact on the joints from running downhill. We managed to put in a big effort to get to the bottom to give us a total time of four hours and twenty five minutes. We’d done it.
At the end of the Three Peaks Challenge - August 2011
The total time for our trip was twenty three hours and twelve minutes. A great achievement for us, some of whom had only started running a couple of months ago.
So the challenge was complete time for a rest. Currently we’ve managed to raise over £400 for Cancer Research UK, with more money still to come in. A big thanks to all of you who sponsored and supported us it kept us all going.
Next challenge?? Who knows.”
Well done – what an achievement!