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Home Page > News Archive > 3 Peaks Challenge - Final Report

3 Peaks Challenge - Final Report

Posted on Tuesday, 26 August 2008 08:36PM by

Its not too late to sponsor me, you can do so on line by clicking on the above `just giving' logo above - this will take you to my BHF fundrasing page.

It seems like a distant memory now, its 30 days since we completed the Yorkshire Three Peaks. The boots have been cleaned and rucsac emptied of banana skins and empty kendal mint cake wrappers, and I just thought I would give you a run down of how it went.

Friday Night
Starting us off on the back foot, Sean got stuck on the M1 travelling home from Leeds afterwork, which meant our rendezvous with our pub lunch was under serious threat. We set off on our journey to horton in Ribblesdale a good hour and half later than expected. Luckily the traffic was light , but the rain was heavy at times. We arrived at the 3 peaks bunkbarn/pub at 7.53, with a good 7 minutes to spare before they closed the kitchen. We were not expecting the throng that was at the bar so we struggled getting served and were initially refused food. After much pleading with the chef they decide to pop a few curries in the microwave for us !. The food was preceeded by, in hind sight, a few too many beers and whiskey's. Drunken plans were being hatched for our next challenge and by way past midnight we found that we were the last ones standing (staggering) so we decided to go to bed. (Not that we got any sleep due to the noisy folk in the same bunk room, some even got in later than us, and we all had to be up at 05:00 ish)

Saturday - Challenge Day
The first miscalculation of the day was to leave the car in the pub car park and walk to the start of the race. Not realising the distance we added another 1.5 miles (estimate) onto the start of the walk and we were late for our 6.30 registration, we finally set off at 06.50. Somehow our rucksacks seemed musch heavier than what they were when we were doing our training routes in the months prior, I took far too much food and carried most of it around for 26 miles. The sun was already shining brightly at this early hour and the view that unfolded was breathtaking as we walked throught the village and past the junior school, and there she was, Pen-y-Gent, as majestic as I remember from my scouting days 20 years earlier. We were setting a good pace up this first mountain and both of us seemed full of energy (not sure if we were still a little inhebriated from the night before it was this that was dulling the senses a little). Whilst others taking part (over 400 in total) seemed to be having picnics half way up the hill and getting their trangia stoves out to make a brew at the top, we had a sense of urgency about us and touched the trig point, breifly glanced at the amazing views and marched onward to our next peak.

The second miscalculation of the day was the heat & water supply. We both carried 2 litre camelbaks with us and due to the race pace we set over the first peak we had consumed well over 2/3rds of our water supply by the time we had started the long arduous acent up to the top of Whernside. The pace we had set combined with the heat hit me hard at this point and I really struggled up the long drag to the top. We hadnt eaten much en route either, apart from some kendal mint cake, and it was so unlike me to go more than three hours without a major food intake. Sean seemed to have boundless energy up the hills so I was gritting my teeth and trying not to fall to far behind. We got the top and put on fresh socks and proceeded to eat lunch. something was definitely wrong.... I had no appetite. I ate a bite of my apple, a few bites of sandwich , then tried the chocolate fudge bar..... I just couldn't stomach anything. Having done a stock check on the fluid we had left we took a few sips, took a few phtographs of the staggeringly beautiful panaramic views and set off on the steep descent.... My turn to take the lead here as Sean seemed to struggle on the steep descents. With volume of walkers out on the course, you could see a long trail of people in red t-shirts leading down the valley from Wherneside to the next hill - no need for a map and compass......

The thrid miscalculation, and by far the worst, was my level of fitness. Although we had manged to squeeze in 3 relatively long and arduous training routes in the month previous, I was so out of shape, the last mountain and by far the steepest ascent, was a killer. Sean however was like a mountain leopard, up hill and set the pace once again. (he doesn't do bad for a Darts player!) I was dissapointed with my climb of Ingleborough as it was stop start all the way to the top. However the reward at the top was well worth it, amazing views once again, a few jelly babies and a long descent to look forward to. I think Sean would have been happy to stay at the top as he was not looking forward to the descent. Every step looked painfull (I think his toes took a battering on the descents as well as the calves & quads.). I think because Sean was going down the hill so gingerly at this point he ended up straining his knee with about 3.5 mile to go, not seriously, but enough to cause him to wince every time he placed his left foot on the ground. Like the true Yorkshireman he is he refused painkillers, strapping and antinflammitaries, piggie backs (phew !) and soldiered on to the finish line....

We completed the course in a respectable 10 hours 30.... then had to walk another 1.5 mile to get to the car where I had the most refreshing shandy in history !

A big thankyou to everyone who sponsored us, much appreciated. We raised over £700 between us. Sean's wife, Louise, being the main driving force behind the fundrasing effort.

Gary Edwards
Sean Webster