The Challenge: To climb the three highest peaks in Scotland, Wales and England (Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike, Mount Snowdon) within 24 hours.
The aim: To raise money for the Mitchemp Trust, a Wiltshire-based charity that runs adventure camps for vulnerable and under-priveleged children.
The team:
Jon Weedon
Tamara Howard
Natalie Williams
Verity McClernon
Paul Cullum
Rob Brown
John Davies
Chris Biltcliffe
Trish Newman (support crew)
Nick Newman (support crew)
The three peaks challenge is something I've always wanted to do. I used to do a lot of walking, mostly all with Pete, in places like the Brecon Beacons, North Wales, Scotland and the Lake District. I had climbed two of the three peaks (Scafell and Snowdon) but only individually, as part of a trip to that area.
So when my boss Lucy Haywood (or my boss' boss as she is technically now - I report to David Power) told me earlier this year she wanted to organise a team for the Three Peaks challenge this year, to raise money for the Mitchemp trust (a charity her and Nat, who I also work with) do voluntary work for, I made sure my name was one of the first on the team sheet.
Obviously I consulted Anthony and asked for his feelings on the matter. I felt more than anything that it would be the chance to achieve an ambition, do some team bonding and have a little break from running. He was very enthusiastic about the idea, and felt that as long as I don't injure myself (I'm notorious for falling over on walks but touch wood have never done myself any real damage) it should be a good training and leg-strengthening exercise.
The company provided most of the equipment (rucksack, fleece, waterproof jacket etc) and paid for transport and food and drink for the event. I had most of the other things I needed, such as some very sturdy boots, which hadn't been worn for a few years but were still in good shape.
The itinerary was to travel up to Fort William on Friday 30th June where we would stay in a guesthouse, complete the challenge on the Saturday and Sunday, spend a night in Snowdon afterwards and travel back on the Monday. We had to book two days leave and pay for the accommodation which I didn't mind as it would be a nice weekend away.
I awoke bright and early on the Friday, packed up the last of my stuff and made my way to work to leave at 10am. Soon we were on our way.
The atmosphere in the mini-bus was one of anticipation. John was still making phone calls to our dealer network, customers and suppliers to get last minute sponsorship pledges. I sat next to Nat most of the way and while I can't really disclose what was discussed, suffice it to say I know her a lot better now.
We stopped a couple of times and had a very long, lazy stop at Tebay services. It was very pleasant because we all got our food and sat out on the grass together.
Although the journey was long (we weren't in Fort William until 9pm) it never seemed to drag. I nearly had a nasty accident at a garage in Scotland: I was standing by the van when Trish started the engine. Thinking she was going to wait for Tamara to finish her cigarette I put one foot in the van..and at that point she started to drive off..
I wasn't hurt though, and soon saw the funny side of it - not that I had much choice, because everyone else certainly did! Later Tamara found an advert in a magazine for a "Pelvic Toner" which she shared with the rest of us and was the source of much amusement. After that the conversation deteriorated nicely and we went on to play some silly games such as "I spy". At the last garage myself and Nat decided we couldn't wait any longer for alcohol and got a beer for the last leg of the journey.
When we got to the guesthouse it was quickly decided that we would just dump our bags and find somewhere that would serve us food and beer. We found a rather unusual pub about a mile up the road and it was a little like a scene out of "Little Britain" when we walked in, with a man playing the panpipes!
We were too late for food but it didn't seem to matter - we were none of us that hungry, beer was far more important! We sat outside for a while, chatting and enjoying the view, which was lovely apart from the midges!
By the time we got back we were all ready for my bed - I was sharing a room with Rob and Paul but we didn't have much of a chat, we were all out for the count very soon.
The next morning we met up for breakfast which was one of the best I've had. I tried to eat as much as I could so I could take on board as many nutrients as possible before the event.
After breakfast all of us except Paul and Verity went into Fort William to have a look around. Tamara and Nat were especially keen to buy some miniature bottles of spirits for the tops of each mountain! I had come prepared and already had my hip flask filled with Glenfiddich!
We then stopped for a coffee which was nice and met Lucy who had travelled up with other volunteers from the Mitchemp Trust. On the way back I went with Nat in search of a small radio so she could get commentary on the football as we were making our way up Ben Nevis! It proved to be a vain search, and the news we got later hardly lifted our spirits.
We then made our way to the start point to get a pitch but had a few hours to kill before we got going. I had managed to lose my mobile phone so was quite anxious for a while, but we phoned the guest house to see if they had seen it and I had dropped it on the grass outside. Lucy drove me over to pick it up later.
I spent most of the time wandering about, dipping my feet in the stream, chatting to the others about mutual hobbies, and drinking as much water as possible.
Soon we did our final preparations, had our briefing and team photos and were on our way. It was great to be doing some walking again, even though the challenge was a bit daunting.
It soon became apparent that we were not that well matched in terms of fitness. Also Verity had a chest infection and was struggling. So we stayed together and decided to put the slower walkers to the front so they could dictate the pace. Good teamwork. We also had lots of breathers - perhaps more than I would have liked - I'm used to pressing on with Pete.
It was fantastic getting to the top together and we all shook hands, took photos (the views were stunning and there was snow on Ben Nevis) and shared our supplies of alcohol.
Sadly the mood did not last long. Coming down Tamara twisted her ankle, which was ok, but in the process did some damage to her knee, which has been troublesome in the past. It was clear she was in a lot of pain, but luckily there were mountain rescue crew around to strap her up, give her painkillers and help her down while the rest of us went on ahead.
Coming down I really felt for her. It seemed she would almost certainly have to pull out of the event and I imagined how she must be feeling at the prospect - I knew from Lucy how keen she was to do it and I would have been heartbroken had it been me.
Paul was also in a lot of pain with his knees (touch would I've never had knee trouble myself) and Verity, while she kept it quiet, was obviously struggling with her infection. But we soldiered on together, got down about midnight (we started about 4.45pm) and had a much-deserved bite to eat and a coffee.
By the time I had gone to get changed and come back to the van Tamara was back with the van. She seemed in good spirits (although obviously still in some pain) so that cheered everyone I think.
We then set off to Scafell, stopping at Southwaite services for a briefing. I don't think any of us got much sleep in the van, and being told we were in "negative time" didn't lift our spirits any.
Six of us set off up Scafell, Paul and Verity deciding they would give it a miss and try to recover for Snowdon. We were actually in good spirits going up, despite the lack of sleep, and played more word games (rude ones mostly). Chris also talked Tamara and Nat into posing for a photo, telling them some of his sponsors had promised to double the amount if he could get a photo of their bottoms going up a mountain. Amazingly, they didn't seem to mind when he later admitted he had made the whole thing up!
I had been up Scafell before and had completely forgotten what awaits you at the top - lots and lots of horrendous boulders to clamber over. I struggled with this - I can walk quickly up any slope but struggle when the surface is uncertain. I fell well behind the rest of the group, but as they were doing it, I was determined to do so too and by the end my confidence improved and I picked the pace up a bit.
Coming down we stated to draw apart. I stopped for a while at a stream to take on as much water as I could, but eventually caught the others up. Rob was the latest to suffer from bad knees and ended up finishing about 30 minutes or so behind the rest of us. He was grimly determined to carry on however - he had attempted the challenge last year and had to pull out after Ben Nevis and badly wanted to complete it this year.
We spent longer than we should have relaxing before setting off. We all dipped bits of us that hurt in the stream - my feet and Rob's knees especially. Trish again excelled with the catering and provided bacon rolls for us - I managed to polish off six!
I don't remember anything about the drive to Snowdon as I slept all the way, waking only at the services where I poured two large bottles of water down my neck. It was ridiculously hot and cramped in the van and the travelling between peaks was a challenge in itself.
We got to Snowdon late (6pm Sunday) and were met with bad news. We were told quite brusquely by the organisers that we had been so slow going up and down the first two, they weren't keen on anyone except the fast walkers going up Snowdon.
That really got a few backs up and we all set off determined to prove a point.
As willing as the spirit can be, sometimes the flesh is just too weak, and we were soon reduced to a team of 5 (John, Chris and Rob dropping out) and then 3 (Paul and Verity). I actually wasn't around to see what was going on - I quickly made up my mind that I was damned if I was going to be telling anyone I'd only done two of the peaks, and also badly wanted to complete the challenge for my team and my company.
At the same time I also wanted to have a beer at some point that evening so I decided my best bet would be to get up Snowdon as quickly as I could as I knew I'd be slower coming down. I did stop, however, to check Tamara and Nat were still going in the same direction as me. I knew it was a bit rude leaving them behind, but I didn't think they'd mind all that much.
I got to the top in about 1.5 hours and Tamara and Nat were not that far behind me in the end - in any case I would have waited for them so we could have celebrated together, which we did.
After that they decided they wanted to run down Snowdon, which they did. I tried to run bits of it, but a combination of water, jelly babies and brandy bouncing around in my stomach plus the sturdiness of my boots soon made it clear it wasn't an option. More importantly, I reminded myself that the marathon is only 2.5 months away and I can't afford to miss even a week of training with an injury.
I got back to the hotel about 10.10pm and when I walked into the room where the team had assembled for the presentations the others who had not completed it gave me a big cheer and took it in turns to shake my hand. That really made the whole event for me as I had done what I did for the team and it was nice to be appreciated.
After rehydrating I had some food and Trish made the prescient move of ordering two pints of lager for me. They didn't last long.
We picked up the award for the most money raised among the teams (about £13k) but as I write there is some discussion as to whether or not it is all handed over to the Mitchemp Trust or to another charity. Justifiably I think - we could all have completed Snowdon at our own individual pace and to be discouraged from doing so, especially in light of how much we had raised, is unacceptable. I shared a room with Rob again that evening, and while Rob never gets emotional about anything it was obvious that he was deeply upset.
Anyway, I was in the mood to celebrate my achievement and after a quick shower returned to the party where I carried on drinking until 3.30am. Most of the others went to bed almost immediately but Rob stayed up with me, which I really appreciated.
The drive home was, needless to say, quite subdued. Everyone was exhausted and most were extremely disappointed. I just read my book most of the way.
My only criticism of my teammates was I felt Nat could have made a lesser deal of the time she and Tamara did Snowdon in. It was a fine riposte to what was said to us, but I think she could have been more considerate of other people's feelings. I myself could have done all three in a much quicker time if I'd wanted to but was more concerned about the interests of the team. Plus if I'd known it was a race I'd have had a plate of pasta and an early night the previous evening (sarcasm).
Whilst Tamara could also have played it down a bit, it's very hard for me to say anything harsh about her - I was absolutely delighted for her that she managed to finish despite the injury. She was visibly struggling at points during Scafell and Snowdon and it must have taken so much courage and determination, more than I have I think. I remember at one point she commented that it was stubbornness on her part and the fact that "I'm never ****ing doing this again, so I'm going to bloody finish it". I replied that it was more likely that she is a very strong character. No one argued with me on that point, not even Nat. I'm not sure Tamara realises how much I meant it, I hope she will one day.
And so it ended. As I say, what a shame it had to finish on a sour note. I think, for the most part, we all had a great time, worked fantastically well as a team, made new friends and enjoyed each other's company. I certainly had a great time and wouldn't have missed it for the world. Hopefully people will forget about the bad things and remember the good times we had in due course. I spoke to Paul and Verity in the week, and they seemed very upbeat, so it seems that will be the case.
As regards the charity money, I think we need to remember that it is the kids who will benefit from our fantastic fund-raising efforts, not the organisers. I personally think we should lodge a complaint, make our feelings clear and see if we are offered an apology before doing anything.
So I'd like to say a massive THANK YOU to all the other people involved for making it a weekend to remember, especially our support crew, Trish and her son Nick, who looked after us so well, and Jayne Liddiard, our training and development officer, who intended to provide support as well but couldn't due to family commitments. Jayne did an excellent job of arranging the accommodation, routes etc, as well as taking at least one call a day from the Mitchemp Trust to find out how much money we had raised..
Guys, I hope you'll be back for 2007, I certainly hope to be.
Copyright © Jonathan Weedon, July 2006
