EIGHT friends have completed the Three Peaks Challenge, walking a total of 23 miles and ascending 3064m, raising £2,300 for The Devizes Opportunity Centre.
Friends Bradley Overton, Alex Dobbins, David Rodgers, Ben Macey, Dan Hitchcock, Ross Jones, Oliver Dimond and Josh Arnold completed the 24-hour challenge, climbing Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowdon in 23 hours and 42 minutes.
Included in the timed challenge, as well as climbing the tallest mountains in Scotland, Wales and England, they had to be driven a total of 462 miles between each mountain, a task which was undertaken by the fathers of team members, David Rodgers’ dad, David Rodgers Snr, and Josh Arnold’s dad, Bobby Arnold.
David Rodgers said, “We couldn’t have done it without these two. We would have had no chance. They only had around 1 – 2 hours sleep throughout the challenge and filled us up with porridge when we came down each mountain.
“Throughout the challenge, we all hit a wall at various points. Scafell Pike was by far my hardest challenge. I hit a wall and felt like my legs couldn’t carry me any more, but the rest of the team pulled me through and really supported me.”
Alex Dobbins said, “ I lost my head on Scafell Pike. I underestimated just what a mental toll the challenge takes on you. But I made it down and then Snowdon felt a lot easier as I could see the end in sight.”
They raised a total of £2,300 for The Devizes Opportunity Centre, which is a charity that is close to the groups hearts as Mya, the daughter of group member Ben Macey, attended the centre from the age of 9 months until she turned 4 years. Mya was born at 28 weeks, weighing only 1.6lb.
The centre is a specialist early years centre, committed to promoting the overall development and life chances of young children who have disabilities, learning difficulties and complex health conditions.
The team’s JustGiving page will remain open for a short while. If you would like to donate, visit their page at https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/ mountaingoats3peaks.
