Why I Am Going to Attempt The Three Peaks Challenge

This is something I didn’t ever think I would be saying – I am going to attempt the Three Peaks! My husband has done this challenge twice before, and both times I thought “he is mad,” but yet, here I am (at the age of 42) saying yep, I am going to give it a whirl. I have a long way to go in terms of being fit enough, but I’m working on that, and I am actually really (surprisingly) excited to push myself to complete this mammoth task.

First Up – What is The Three Peaks Challenge?

The Three Peaks Challenge we are attempting is the national one, which involves climbing the three highest peaks found in Scotland, England and Wales – Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowdon – within 24 hours. You can choose to do this in a professionally organised group or arrange it yourself, which is what we are doing. You can also do the mountains in any order you choose, you just have to complete it all (including travel time) in 24 hours.

“The total walking distance is 23 miles (37km) and the total ascent is 3064 metres (10,052ft) – twice the ascent of the Yorkshire Three Peaks, over a similar total walking distance. The total driving distance is 462 miles“

The Three Peaks Website

Training For The Three Peaks

Taking on a challenge like this means that you must be healthy, physically fit, have good endurance and mentally prepared. In terms of getting fit enough, the website itself suggests that you exercise 5 days a week, allowing for 2 days rest. This should be a good mixture of walking/running, bodyweight exercises, cycling/swimming and, of course, long hikes with plenty of hill practice. By incorporating a combination of these, you should be in the right physical shape in time for your challenge. With this increase in exercise, you should also aim to eat healthier and have the right protein and vitamin intake. This may mean adding protein shakes into your diet. In terms of being mentally prepared, you will need to be able to push through pain and tiredness and not let the hours of travelling get to you. This may well be the hardest part of this challenge but by giving yourself time to get your head around what it is going to be like, doing research or speaking to others who have completed it and reminding yourself why you are doing it. This should all help you to push on through (that’s what I’m telling myself anyway!)

Why People Choose To Do This Challenge

Many choose to do the Three Peaks Challenge as a way of raising money/awareness for charities and others do it simply because it is a lifetime ambition, a bucket list item.

Why I Am Doing The Three Peaks Challenge

I am going to share the story I have written on our Just Giving Page:

The topic of Men’s Mental Health has gradually come into the spotlight in the last few years, which has been great to see, but even with this raised awareness, it is still often seen as a taboo subject. With a way to go to break more barriers down, we’d love to see a bigger shift happen. We need to help to get more conversations started, we need to assist and support the services that are there to provide hands-on help, and we desperately need fewer men feeling as though there is no way out…

Some of you may know that 18 months ago, our Dad’s life changed in a drastically traumatic way. What should have been the happiest time of his life turned into an experience nobody should have to go through.

His trip of a lifetime (visiting Memphis) was not well-received by his family (understatement) and accusations, lies, and character assassinations took place as soon as he entered back into the UK. Within hours, he had no home, no car, no belongings, no clothes and lost family members who he never thought he would be without – life as he knew it had been whipped away. He tried his best to hold things together, but over the coming months, the ordeal, upset, worry, anxiety and loss all became too much. He wasn’t sleeping, he couldn’t think straight, he would have panic attacks at any given moment and he began contemplating taking his life. As his daughters, we did all we could to support him, but his mental health had taken the biggest battering of his life, which led to his body giving in – it had simply had enough. He collapsed. An ambulance was called, and after a night in the emergency room, he was eventually admitted to a psychiatric hospital.

Here he was provided with all the mental, emotional and physical care he needed. Throughout his 5-week stay, the wonderful staff encouraged him to talk about the trauma he had been through, they balanced his medication with gentle exercise and plenty of good food! And with their help, family support and his will to live, he came home in a far better place. Of course, the journey isn’t over, there is still more to process and overcome, but without these services and our NHS, he is at least, still here with us. And because of this, we want to give something back.

The hospital relies on particular items to help their patients keep their minds active, to have fun, and to allow them to socialise with others. One item they told us they wanted was a pool table so we would like to make this happen along with other things they may need too. And how are we going to raise this money??? By taking on one of the biggest challenges around – The Three Peaks!!

The Three Peaks Challenge will see us attempting to climb Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Mount Snowdon within 24 hours (eeekk!!) A small group of us – Emma, Jen, Rob, Emily, Rich and Robyn – will be setting off on 30th July to take on this mammoth of a task and journey in the hope that you will support us in raising awareness and funds for men’s mental health. Dad has been through his biggest battle, can we go through ours to stand up for those other men who are still suffering in silence? We hope so, because everybody deserves happiness and everybody deserves to be valued and heard.

The Journey So Far

Well, we have our group, we have our plan and the order of mountains decided. Training has been going really well, I have certainly ramped up all my physical activity in the last month and even more so in the last 2 weeks. I am so determined to complete the three peaks and to raise this money for charity, so stay tuned for updates here, on my social media and our Just Giving Page.

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