Harry's Arctic Heroes

Back in April this year four wounded servicemen undertook an unsupported trek to the North Pole in a bid to help raise £2 million for Britain's injured service men and women. They were joined for part of their training and expedition by Prince Harry. Himself a serving Soldier.

Harry's Arctic Heroes is a two part documentary covering the Arctic expedition which was organised by the charity Walking with the Wounded, an organisation which raises money for injured servicemen and women. The two part series, which was filmed over a year, follows the soldiers as they train and prepare for their extraordinary challenge in both the UK and Norway and their trek across the frozen Arctic Ocean.

The first part of Harry's Arctic Heroes will be shown on BBC One on Tuesday 23rd August at 9pm. The second part will be broadcast the following week on August 30th.

Everst - 'The Wildest Dream'

The film documentary 'The Wildest Dream - The Conquest of Everest', which was originally shown on the big screen at selected cinemas, was broadcast on BBC2 on Wednesday 17th August. The programme can now be seen on BBC iPlayer.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b013pr15/The_Wildest_Dream_Conquest...

The programme profiles American high altitude climber Conrad Anker, who discovered George Mallory's body in 1999, and the young british rock climber Leo Holding as they recreate Mallory's and Sandy Irvine's 1924 fatefull expedition, to discover if it is possible that they were indeed the first people to set foot on the summit of Mount Everest

British professional high altitude climber, Kevin Thaw, who was part of this expedition, can also be seen in the film.

A book of the same title, writen by Mark MacKenzie, is available in paperback and further explores the possibility that Mallory and Irvin could have reached the highest point on earth.

Crossing the Ice - In celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Amundsen-Scott race

 

James Castrission and Justin Jones, two Australian adventurers, are planning to ski, unsupported, from the coast of the antartic continent to the South Pole and back.  They are currently in training for this epic challenge, which is to start later this year, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the famous Amundsen-Scott race to the South Pole.

The pair plan to begin their estimated three month expedition, Crossing The Ice, in October. They will make the 1367 miles (2200km) crossing on foot, while pulling 352 pound (160 kilogram) sleds, which will contain all of their food, clothing and equipment.

Castrission and Jones, who already hold the title for being the first people to row 2021 miles (3318km) from Australia to New Zealand, are undertaking the expedition to raise funds and awareness for the You Can foundation. The You-Can Foundation builds special cancer centers for children across Australia.

With 2011 being the 100th year celebration of the Amundsen-Scott race, for the South Pole, there are going to be several expeditions taking place as part of the celebrations.

Row to the Pole

A team of six ocean rowers, led by polar explorer and ocean rower Jock Wishart, have set off from Resolute Bay, Canada on the Row to the Pole expedition. The team are attempting the six week crossing of the Artic Ocean in an attempt to complete the first journey to the Magnetic North Pole, by rowingboat.

In addition to Wishart the team is made up of experienced sailors and explorers Mark Delstanche, Billy Gammon, Rob Sleep, David Mans, and Mark Beaumont. The team will row in three-hour shifts in their bid to complete the 450-mile open ocean crossing.

The Mongol Rally

The annual Mongol Rally, started this week, with 311 teams setting out on the ultimate road trip adventure. They'll drive across Europe and Asia, on the 10,000 miles adventure, in everyday vehicles, before crossing the finish line in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

224 teams set off from the U.K. on Saturday, while another 86 set off from the Czech Republic. All of the teams will have to tackle grueling deserts, snow capped mountains, and remote unsurfaced tracks and roads as they race to be the first to reach the Mongolian capitol.

Whilst everyone taking part in the event will be experiencing some fantastic adventures they will also be raising money for this year's charity  Christina Noble Children's Foundation, which is based in Mongolia. The CNCF is dedicated to helping improve the lives of underprivileged children living in developing countries, and are hoping that years rally will raise more than £400,000 pounds for their cause.

Ray Goodwin - Free Canoeing Talk/Presentation

Ray Goodwin has paddled extensively in Europe and throughout the world. Amongst his many trips he has completed the Circumnavigation of Wales and the Irish Sea Crossing, he has canoed the Rio Grande in North America, canoed as far north as the Arctic Circle and has successfully completed two kayak descents of the Grand Canyon, on the Colorado river. In July 2004 Ray was part of the BBC's Ray Mears’ Bushcraft series. As part of the series the two of them undertook a canoe journey on the Missinaibi river, in Ontario, Canada. In addition to being a British Canoe Union, Level 5, Canoe, Sea and Inland Kayak Coach, Ray holds a Mountain Instructor’s Certificate and has led ice climbs on Kilimanjaro, Mount Kenya and in the Atlas Mountains. He run's his own coaching and guiding business in North Wales, where he delivers training courses to all levels of paddlers from novices to the top BCU leadership and coaching qualifications. Ray will be giving his pictorial presentation and talking about his new book on Monday 8th August at 7.45pm at the Conference Suite, Liverpool Marina. For further details or to reserve a place go to http://www.liverpoolcanoeclub.co.uk/ray/  Event Poster.......... www.raygoodwin.com

Dervla Murphy - Fundraising Talk

Dervla Murphy is an intrepid cyclist come author with many interesting and exciting stories to tell.
http://www.dhttp://www.dervlamurphy.com/index.

Dervla's first book, "Full Tilt: Ireland to India with a Bicycle," was published in 1965. Since then she has written over twenty other books. Dervla's writing has won her worldwide aclaim and she has been described as a "travel legend" and "the first lady of Irish cycling." Although in her late-70s, she continues to travel world-wide and remains passionate about her love of politics, conservation, bicycling and beer.

Dervla will be talking about her travels and the subsequent books at the
Sustrans London office on Thursday 15th September at 6.00pm.

Venue:
70 Cowcross Street, Farringdon, EC1M 6EJ.
Doors open at 6.00pm 

Limited tickets are available from Sustrans priced: £10.00 (delivery information)

The 7-3-7 Challenge

Richard Parks, former Welsh International and Barbarian flanker, who was recently forced to retire from professional rugby, as a result of a serious shoulder injury, has become the first person to climb the highest summits on each of the world's seven continents and stand on each of the three poles (Geographical North Pole, South Pole and the summit of Mount Everest), in under 7 months.

On Tuesday 12th July 2011 Richard made history by completing his world first 7-3-7 Challenge in 6 months, 11 days, 7 hours and 53 minutes. He undertook the challenge to raise money for Marie Curie Cancer Care.

Click below to read the whole of Richard's story or go to www.737challenge.com

The first part of a BBC documentary about his challenge can be seen on BBC Wales on Tuesday 26th June at 10.35pm.

• 27 Dec 2010 – Leg 1. THE SOUTH POLE
• 8 January 2011 – Leg 2. MOUNT VINSON
• 5 February 2011 – Leg 3. ACONCAGUA
• 27 February 2011 – Leg 4. KILIMANJARO
• 15 March 2011 – Leg 5. CARSTENSZ PYRAMID
• 11 April 2011 – Leg 6. THE NORTH POLE
• 25 May 2011 – Leg 7. MOUNT EVEREST
• 30 June 2011 – Leg 8. DENALI
• 12 July 2011 – Leg 9. ELBRUS

Scotland to Norway by Sea Kayak

At 1pm on the 16th July 2011, three experienced sea kayakers and adventurers set off on their attempt to be the first people to kayak across the North Sea, from Scotland to Norway.

Patrick Winterton, Ollie Hicks and Mick Berwick are attempting to make the first ever kayak crossing from Scotland to Norway following in the wake of the Shetland Bus heroes of world war two. Norwegian fishermen who made repeated crossings of the North Sea in the worst conditions to ferry arms and undercover agents into, German occuppied, Norway and smuggle refugees out.

They aim to raise in excess of £15000 for the RNLI and The Make a Wish Foundation.

To follow their adventure visit www.kayaksonshetlandbus.com

"We don’t need to tell anyone that three nights in a kayak on the North Sea in a single kayak won’t be much fun. We hope you’ll make our misery worthwhile and help us help them. Many thanks". PW

Walking the Amazon - Book Review

In August 2010, Ed Stafford became the first person to walk the full length of the river Amazon. His, source to sea, adventure, which he started on 2nd April 2008, took him 860 days to complete. Ed has now written an account of this epic journey.

In April 2008, Ed Stafford began his attempt to become the first man ever to walk the entire length of the River Amazon. Nearly two and a half years later, he reached the mouth of this colossal river, where it flows into the Atlantic ocean.

Throughout his journey Ed faced many dangers including Alligators, Jaguars, Snakes and a plethora of jungle insects. He was chased by machete-wielding tribesmen and even detained for murder.

Ed has now written a book about his incredible journey which can be bought from Amazon, priced £10.07

Ed's book is a true and honest account of his travels and adventures and should sit proudly on any adventurers bookshelf.

 “Living like nomads, carrying what we needed, and living off our wits for up to two years, I felt as if I was the luckiest man on earth.” Ed Stafford - Walking the amazon

'Walking from the Pacific, over the Andes and along the entire length of the Amazon to the Atlantic is truly extraordinary... To do all this puts Stafford's endeavour in the top league of expeditions past and present' - SIR RANULPH FIENNES, OBE

Alastair Humphrey's Presentation

Last night, 15th July, round the world cyclist and adventurer, Alastair Humphrey's, gave a talk at Hebden Bridge Library to an audience of around fifty people.

Alastair's presentation lasted about an hour and was followed by a thirty minute question & answer session. Alastair is a passionate speaker who clearly enjoys sharing storeys of his adventures and experiences with others.

I would definitely recommend going to one of his speaking sessions. Even though, on this occasion, his presentation did not include any photo's Alastair was still able to enthuse his audience.

Good-bye Kazakhstan, hello China.!

Sarah Outen, who is travelling around the world, on her London to London expedition, using only human powered transport, has now entered China.

Copyright Sarah Outen

Sarah, who set off from London, in May 2011 paddled down the Thames and across the English Channel, by sea kayak, before jumping on her bike and cycling through Europe and some of the former Soviet states, has made fantastic progress. Sarah will now continue East on her journey heading for Japan, where she will continue her round the world journey by rowing across the Pacific Ocean.

To read about some of the adventures which Sarah has been having on this amazing journey go to her website http://www.sarahouten.com/.

To see her latest video blog go to http://www.sarahouten.com/china-border-crossing/

The 24 hour Bivvy Bag Challenge

As we move into summer why not undertake this micro-adventure, the '24 hour Bivvy Bag Challenge'?

The aim of the 24hr bivvy bag challenge is to set out on a route and return to your start point as close to the 24hr mark as possible. The challenge is not intended to be a competition to see how much distance you can cover, within 24hrs, but to enjoy the experience and hopefully get to see some new locations. You can undertake your journey alone or with friends. You can travel on foot or by bike, Canoe, kayak or any other form of non-motorised transport.

Challenge Rules:
1. Your journey must start and end at the same place (why not set out from your own front door?).
2. The aim is to try to return to your start location as close to the 24hr point as possible.
3. Whilst the challenge is not to cover as much distance as you can in 24 hours, you should select a route that will provide some level of challenge and preferably take you to locations you have never visited before. For example: if walking then a minimum distance of 30 miles, over the 24hr period, should be reasonably challenging; if running 40 miles and if cycling, 60miles. (These minimum distances should be attainable by any reasonably fit person. Obviously if you want to cover greater distances then fill your boots.
4. You can use any form of transport as long as it is non-motorised.
5. You must spend the night outdoors in a bivvy bag (for the softies, you can take a poncho/tarp/basha, for wet weather, but no tent).
6. Enjoy your experience.

Equipment:

You'll need a rucksack to carry your equipment and food etc. Some warm clothing and waterproof jacket and trousers. For maximum comfort you'll at least need a sleeping bag, bivvy bag and preferably a roll-mat too. If your a first time bivvier then you don't need to go out and buy an expensive gore-tex bag. A simple plastic survival bag, from any outdoors shop, will do the trick.

Enjoy your adventure.

Alastair Humphreys - Talk

Adventurer and writer Alastair Humphreys' will be giving a pictorial presentation at Hebden Bridge library, West Yorkshire, on Friday 15th July 2011, starting at 7.30pm.

Alastairs' epic cycle journey around the world started in Yorkshire in 2001. Over the next four years he cycled through Europe, down the whole length of Africa, up through the Americas and then back through Siberia - in winter - Japan, China, Central Asia and Europe. He has also raced a yacht across the Atlantic Ocean, canoed 500 miles down the Yukon River and walked the length of the holy Kaveri River in India. He finished the Marathon-des-Sables as one of the ten fastest Brits, despite breaking his foot during the race. He has rowed to France with Major Phil Packer, who suffered spinal cord damage in an explosion in Iraq in 2008, and in 2010 he completed an unsupported crossing of Iceland by foot and Pack-raft. This year Alastair is preparing for SOUTH, the first unsupported return journey to the South Pole and the longest unsupported polar journey in history.

I have read some of Alastairs' books and they are a honest and fascinating read.

Alastair will talk about the lessons he has learned on the road, stories of his travels and deliver a call to arms - nothing is achieved without being bold enough to begin it.

Tickets are £5.00 each (£3.50 concessionary) and can be obtained by contacting Anna Turner at Calderdale Council. Anna.Turner@calderdale.gov.uk

Wild Swimming - exploring Britains outdoor swimming places

In Britain there are countless locations to enjoy a cool, refreshing outdoor dip. On a hot summers day what could be more refreshing than to take a dip in the cool clear waters of a river, mountain stream, lake or tarn or even laze under a waterfall and swim in the plunge pool. With Britain's beaches now being cleaner than ever before why not explore our coastline and discover sandy beaches, secret coves and smugglers’ caves.

Always choose a safe swimming location and obey any warning signs. When swimming in open water you should be a strong, competent swimmer. Always be aware of strong currents, rip tides and underwater dangers and ensure that you have a safe point of ingress and egress.  

Alice Roberts recently presented an interesting documentary about Wild Swimming on BBC4, following in the footsteps of the late Roger Deakin who was an early advocate of wild swimming. In addition to swimming in some beautiful rivers, lakes and tarns Alice goes swimming in some underground rivers in the Yorkshire Dales National Park.

You can watch this programme via the BBC4 homepage.

For more information about wild swimming visit: http://www.wildswimming.co.uk/

Take a Seat - Egypt

Copyright: Dominic Gill

British adventurer and film maker Dominic Gill has now set off on his latest cycle adventure to travel around Egypt on a Tandem. Throughout his journey Dom will be inviting locals to jump on the back and ride along with him.

Dominic, from Oldham in Lancashire, has already undertaken two previous mammouth cycle adventures which he documented on video camera. Both of which have been made into successful documentaries. On his first epic trip Dominic cycled, on a tandem, from the most northern town in Alaska to the most southern town in Argentina. Last year he cycled coast to coast across the United States of America on a specially adapted bicycle that allowed people with disabilities - who would normally be unable to undertake such a once in a life time experience - the opportunity to join him for a section of his ride.

Whilst at the time of writing Dom doesn't appear to have a website dedicated to this new adventure you can follow his exploits, on Twitter, via his Take a Seat website.

Dominic's fantastic book, Take a Seat, which is about his first cycle adventure, along the whole continent of North and South America, can be purchased through his website or on Amazon.

Joe Brown - The Hard Year's

I have just finished reading Joe Brown's captivating autobiography 'The Hard Year's'. Published in 1967 by Victor Gollancz Ltd, London. The book takes you through an interesting journey from Joe's early climbing exploits on Peak District Gritstone and Welsh Slate to motorcycle road trips to climb in the Alps and full scale expeditions in the Himalyas.

The book is full of interesting stories of climbing exploits with equally interesting characters with whom he climbed. Including, the great Don Whillans.

Whilst I'm sure the original book is now almost certainly out of print, and a rare find in even the best of second hand bookshops, I managed to get a well read copy from the library. However, if I do come across one for sale somewhere then it will certainly gain a place on my bookshelf!

A short magazine article about Joe can be read at: http://www.climber.co.uk/categories/articleitem.asp?cate=1&topic=65&item=90

Kayakers break round Ireland Record

Jeff Allen and Harry Whelan have broken the record for paddling around the coast of Ireland.

Jeff who is from, Falmouth in Cornwall, and Harry, who lives in London, completed their epic paddle when they arrived in Ardmore, West Waterford, at around 16.00hrs on 16th May 2011.

Their 1000-mile circumnavigation took 25 days to complete, which saw them having to battle through bad weather and massive Atlantic swells. They managed to knock 8 days off the current record which previously stood at 33 days.

They undertook their mammoth paddling trip to raise funds for Ovarian Cancer Action. In an interview with BBC Radio Cornwall, Jeff Allen said that they had had "no sleep at all" over the last three days and that they were both "exhausted". He also said, "We spent the last three days trying to catch up on miles that we'd lost because of bad weather."

Jeff has conducted previous expeditions paddling around the island of South Georgia in the South Atlantic Ocean
.
Source BBC News website [http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cornwall-13421468]

See also:

roundireland2011.blogspot.com.

 http://www.canoekayak.com/touring-kayak/record-breaker-25-days-round-ireland/

Scouse Marathon Man

Until January of this year Steve Hill was an unfit, twenty-a-day smoker who had no real interest in running. However, on New Year's Day all that changed. He decided to run a marathon to raise money for Zoe's Place which is a hospice, based in Liverpool, which cares for terminally ill babies.

Since that life changing day on 1st January 2011, Steve has not only been training to run one marathon but is actually intending to run 40 marathon's over 40 consecutive days, to celebrate his 40th birthday while raising funds for his chosen charity.

This morning, 16th May, Steve set out to complete his first marathon, cheered on by his family, friends and supporters. If all goes well steve will complete is 40 marathons on 24 June.

If you would like to join Steve for a run and support him in his fantastic challenge or donate to Zoe's Place then visit: http://www.scousemarathonman.com/

Mountain Equipment Sale

Glossop-based Mountain Equipment and Ron Hill clearance outlet Magic Mountain  will be holding a sale, at their Dawson Street, factory clearence outlet at Hyde over the weekend of 21st & 22nd May.

Opening times are:

Saturday 09.00 to 16.00
Sunday 10.00 to 14.00

http://www.magic-mountain.co.uk/
Tel: 01457 854424

Some extremly good bargains can be had. These 'sale weekend's' normally offer reduced end of line and clearance stock, there's also a continuous stream of seconds - many with only minor or cosmetic faults - plus ex-test gear and some truly bizarre prototypes in odd colours. There are often ME sleeping bags at around 50% of the full retail price.

Well worth a visit. I reccommend you get there early because these sales are always popular and everything goes very quick. Take plenty of cash or make sure your card has plenty of funds on it because your bound to go mad when you enter this Aladin's Cave.

Micro-adventures

You don't have to travel half way around the globe or take weeks or even months off work in order to enjoy an adventure. Micro-adventures can be anything lasting from just a few hours to a couple of days and they can be had right on your own doorstep.

Why not go for a walk or a bike ride whilst taking in some fresh air and stunning scenery. Even if you live in the centre of a city there are plenty of places to see and visit in just a few hours. If you can get to the countryside you could go Mountain Biking or enjoy a days walk or even take a tent and turn it into a couple of days trekking. Infact why not leave the tent at home and just take a sleepingbag, roll mat and a bivvy bag and sleep under the stars. You don't need to go out and buy an expensive goretex bag from one of the numeruos high street outdoor chains, either. A plastic survival bag, from any outdoors shop, will suffice and should cost you no more than £5 or £6.

For a mid-week adventure why not take your kit to work, one day, and then hit the hills as soon as you clock out. Go find a good sleeping spot from where you can watch the sun set, and then rise again in the morning, before rolling your bag away and setting off back to work having enjoyed a great evening away from the usual trappings of modern society such as TV, Internet and those dreaded Social Networking Sites.

So go on, pack your kit and go and have a little adventure ...

International Travel Writing

Former soldier Paul Steele whio lives in Diggle, Saddleworth has been named as one of the most influential travel writers on the web.

It all began when Paul started writing a blog about his own personal adventures amongst the wild and wonderful moors of Saddleworth. What started as an hobby has now gained him an international name on the internet.

Paul, who has over 114,000 followers on social networking site Twitter, is now writing for the Visit Britain website and has also been approached by the American newsgroup CNN about future projects. As a result of his new found fame Paul is hoping to undertake a charity trek to the South Pole.

Paul's inspirational blog can be read at: http://www.baldhiker.com/

Tick Info

Anyone who regularly ventures into the British hills will proberbly have taken home a Tick or two at some time? As a result of milder winters and changing farming techniques Tick populations are rising.

The following site gives info and advice about Ticks and the recommended treatment should one of these little bliters attach itself to you.

http://www.tickbitepreventionweek.org/what-is-a-tick.html

They've done it

British adventure racers Anthony Emmet and Bruce Duncan have completed their Epic non-stop Triathalon, which saw them running the Bob Graham 24hr Round, Cycling from John-O-Groats to Lands End, on a tandem, and then competing in the Devizes to Westminster International Canoe Race, to raise money for Cancer Research UK.

Well done lads!!

Run a marathon without training ...

Last Sunday (17th April) I ran the London Matrathon, as part of the Adventure Fundraising Team, in memory of my friend Ray Glazer, to raise money for MacMillan Cancer Support and Alzheimer's Society. Whilst I didn't finish in the time I wanted to do I none the less enjoyed the event fully and I'm sure I'll run it again in the near future to raise more funds for charity.

Whilst running with over 35,000 other runners, it occured to me that the London Marathon was proberbly quite an adventure for many of the runners involved. The majority of entrants were proberbly not dedicated runners but had in fact entered to raise money for charities and good causes and to gain some sort of personal acheivement. I got to wondering how these individuals, who were not normally runners, had found their training over the previous 16 or 18 weeks and how many of them would continue running afterwards or even enter another marathon. Either way it didn't matter. The fact was that everybody who crossed the start line had initialy had a dream to run the biggest marathon event in the world, whether it had been to raise money for charity, to acheive a personal best time, or just to be able to complete 26.2 miles. From the first day that they had begun their training, through all the cold and wet training sessions and through the highs and lows of the marathon itself, everyone of them had had an adventure along the way. After crossing the finish line and receiving their medals there would be many memories recolected and stories to be told for years to come.

What also struck me was that all of these people, runners and spectators alike, of all colours, creeds, and religeons, were enjoying the carnival atmosphere and sharing in the joy of this fantastic event and cheering and encouraging each other on. For the whole of the 26.2 mile course I saw nothing but joy, happiness and laughter on the the faces of thousands and it was fantastic to be a part of it.

Over a week has passed now and I find myself searching the internet reading about other peoples stories, not only of the London Marathon but of other marathons around the world. As I was reading I came across this short story (see below) about two friends who ran the San Fransico marathon without doing any training at all. Whilst I certainly don't advocate running a marathon without doing the right amount of training I found the story to be an interesting example of what people can acheive if they put their minds to it and they have the desire to succeed.


          Running a Marathon without training:  by Andrew Gertrig

A few years ago I ran the San Francisco marathon without training and finished it in 4 hours and 28 minutes. Most people don’t believe me when I tell them I did this, then when they do they then start thinking I’m an idiot. I did do it, and maybe. The part of the story that I don’t normally share is that my friend Tyson also ran the marathon that day and finished in around 5 and 1/2 hours. To me his run, though an hour longer, is probably more impressive of a feat.


Everything started on a Tuesday evening in Livermore, CA where Tyson and I were both working as interns at LLNL. We were shooting pool with 2 other interns and one of them mentioned that he was going to run the San Francisco marathon that coming Sunday. I am not sure if there is a possible logical chain of events between his comment and the point that Tyson and I were registering for the marathon and buying running shoes at the Expo the day before it, but it happened. What was logical was that Tyson (now a nuclear physicist) and I decided that we needed a plan for how to finish the marathon. This is where Tyson’s story gets more impressive. As we started hashing things out we started by discussing our current levels of physical fitness and how far we had ever run before. Tyson had always been more into playing music than sports, so when he told me that he didn’t think that he had ever run for more than a mile before it gave me only a moments pause. This is when I actually started to feel confident because I played intramural soccer in college and had once gone for a three mile run. After all we were two smart young guys, so who needs to have run longer than a mile before when you are about to run 26.2 miles. Not us.


So we talked with our marathoning buddy who had tricked us into this somehow and we came up with a plan. How to hack a marathon:

1. Don’t plan on running the whole thing
2. Take 4 Advil an hour before the race
3. Take a walking break at every mile marker
4. Eat half a banana whenever you see one
5. Take two waters at ever water station
6. Eat no more than 3 Gu energy packs because our stomachs didn’t like them
7. Take bathroom breaks
8. Walk every hill
9. Meet interesting people and use conversation to kill the pain
10. Put bandaids on your nipples to prevent bleeding

Because I felt as though I was in relatively good shape I decided that I would run the first 4 miles at a little slower than a 10 minute pace and then start my plan of walking for 2 mins or less at every mile marker. I mostly stuck to the plan and finished with a pace of 10:14/mile. Tyson also stuck to his regimen and we both got our medals.


That day I learned a valuable lesson, that just because something seems hard and you don’t feel prepared does not mean that you can’t do it.


Now go run a marathon.

Cycling Across America

It must be the season for charity adventure challenges.

On April 24th 2011 Bob Livesey, a former British soldier, will set off to cycle across the United States of America. His cycling adventure will see him covering around 3,457 miles and climbing over 18 miles, in ascent, in 33 days.

Bob is undertaking this challenge to raise funds for the Royal British Legion, an organisation which helps over 100,000 serving and ex British Armed Forces servicemen and women every year.

Donations can be made at Bob's fundraising site:

http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-web/fundraiser/showFundraiserProfilePage.action?userUrl=BobLivesey

The Epic Tri

How about this for a little adventure ...

Anthony Emmet and Bruce Duncan, two of the UK's top adventure racers are currently under-taking an amazing endurance challenge to raise funds for Cancer Research UK. Their challenge, 'The Epic Tri' is a massive none stop triathalon challenge consisting of running the Bob Graham 24hour fellrunning challenge, cycling on a tandem from John-O-Groats to Lands End and then completeing the gruelling Devizes to Westminster canoe race.

The pair have already completed the Bob Graham round consisting of 65 miles, 42 Lakeland Mountain Tops and 27,000ft of climbing in under 24 hours, which is considered to be the toughest fell running challenge in the UK.

Anthony and Bruce are now well into their cycle leg which will see them covering almost 900 miles from the most northerly to the most southerly points of  mainland Britain. They hope to complete the cycle leg in around 60 hours and hope to arrive at Lands End sometime on the evening of 22nd April.

The challenge will culminate in them competing in the 125 mile Devizes to Westminster Canoe Race, over the Easter Weekend. The DW is the largest and longest canoe/kayak race in the country and has to be completed within 24 hours. The record for which stands at a staggering 15.5 hours.

You can follow this truely epic charity challenge and  make a donation to Cancer Research UK by visiting http://www.theepictri.com/

New adventure travel website launched

A new adventure travel website  Kumutu  has recently been launched which provides travellers with a fantastic resourse to checkout  hundreds of tour operators across the globe. The site provides a facility to allow people, looking for adventure holidays, to search for specific activities or destinations, read reviews and book their selected trips through the tour operators listed on the site.

 

Sophie Collett completes Atacama Desert Race

Sophie Collet completed the Atacama Desert Crossing in a total of 42:59:02.

The Desert race, which Sophie ran to raise money for Help for Heroes was held over six stages. Her individual stage times were: Stage 1: 04:56:40; Stage 2: 06:51:17; Stage 3: 07:19:24; Stage 4: 08:35:51; Stage 5: 14:00:00; Stage 6: 01:15:50.

Sophie has almost reached her fundraising target of £8,000. Anyone wishing to sponsor sophie and donate to H4H can do so at: www.justgiving.com/Sophie-Collett

Well done Sophie and for a great cause.

Sarah Outen reaches the French coast

Photo courtesy of Sarah Outen

After 65 hours and 110 nautical miles, paddling by sea kayak with adventure film maker Justine Curgenven, from Tower Bridge, London, Sarah Outen reached the Northern Coast off France after an 8.5hr crossing of the English Channel.

Leg 1 of Sarah's London 2 London, round the world adventure, is now complete and she will now set off on the next stage of her epic trip alone by bicycle.

You can follow Sarah's round the world journey at http://www.sarahouten.com/

Chris M

National Geographic - A week of adventure & expedition films

From Sunday 3rd until Saturday 9th April Expedition Week will be returning to the National Geographic Channel . There will be a fantastic line-up of shows, with two new premiere's showing each night, throughout the week.

The weeks viewing will kick off with Eating with Cannibals . Some of the other shows that will be featured are Hunt for the Abominable Snowman , Egypt's Lost Rival and Lost Land of the Tiger .

 

A complete listing of the weeks programmes can be found on the  Expedition Week website.

And She's Off

At 13.00 hrs today, Friday 1st April, Sarah Outen began her, London 2 London, round the world adventure.

Photo courtesy of Sarah Outen

She set off from Tower Bridge, in her kayak, escorted by two Royal Navy Patrol Boats whilst a large crowd of well wishers lined the banks of the Thames to see her off.

Click on the following links to see media coverage and photographs of Sarah setting out on her journey:         a BBC News article and photographs and the Channel 4 piece.

Sarah's friend and fellow adventurer Dave Cornthwaite took some video footage of the start of what will be an amazing journey and adventure.

London 2 London via the world

Adventurer Sarah Outen will set out from Tower Bridge, London on 1st April 2011 to circumnavigate the globe using human power only. She will travel around the world to raise money and awareness for four different charities by Boat, Sea Kayak and Bike, returning to where she set out, Tower Bridge, around 30 months after her departure.

Sarah, 25, is no stranger to adventure. Amongst other epic trips she was the first women and the youngest person, at 23 years old, to row single handed across the Pacific Ocean.

People can follow her progress throughout this amazing adventure at: http://www.sarahouten.com/

Chris M

Crossing the Atacama Desert for Help for Heroes

Sophie Collet, a 26 year old Physiotherapist and ultra marathon runner will be competing in the Atacama Desert Crossing in Chile, 5 to 11 March 2011, to raise money for Help for Heroes. The event consists of running six marathons in six days and she hopes to raise £8,000 in the process

Todate she has already completed the Marathon des Sables, the Brazil Jungle Marathon, the Gobi March, the Yukon Artic Ultra 300, the Oner, the Thames Meander and the Jurassic Coastal Challenge.

Sophie says, "The Atacama Crossing is part of the 4 Deserts series which was named by TIME magazine as #2 on its list of the top 10 endurance competitions in the world.  The entire race will be held at least 1.6 kilometres above sea level.  The race will be run over a distance of 250 kilometres over six days, completing an average of a marathon a day, with a double marathon in the middle.  Competitors will be required to pass through up to 30 checkpoints during the event.  I will be carrying all my food, clothing and equipment for the race, with only a tent and water provided.  More than thirty-five countries are expected to be represented in the race including competitors from Brazil, France, Hong Kong, India, Italy, Japan, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom."

Anyone interested in sponsoring Sophie can do so by visiting her Just Giving page: http://www.justgiving.com/Sophie-Collett

Her progress can be followed throughout the event at: http://www.4deserts.com/atacamacrossing.

Good Luck Sophie.

Chris M

Paul Braithwaite Talk Night

Paul Braithwaite, famous Everest climber, will be delivering a presentation on Friday 18th March, starting at 7.30pm at Millgates Arts Centre, Delph, Saddleworth, Oldham.

For anyone who doesn't know, Paul (also known as Tut), was a member of Chris Bonningtons successfull 1975 'Everest the Hard Way' expedition to conquer a new route up to the summit of Everest. Paul, along with Nick Estcourt, solved the problem of the the highly technical and difficult 'Rock Band' which allowed the team to make a successfull summit attempt. In addition Paul holds many other first ascents to his name both in the UK and around the world.

This will be rare opportunity to listen to Paul, who normarly keeps a low-profile, and to what I'm sure will be a fascinating presentation.

Further details of obtaining tickets can be made by contacting Mountain Feet (Oldham). http://www.mountainfeet.co.uk/

This event is to raise money for the charity Help for Heroes.

Chris M

Banff Film Vestival - UK Tour

There are limited dates and places left for the UK tour of the Banff Film Festival, which is running from 28th January to 05th March 2011. Tickets for the remaining venues can be booked at http://www.bankk-uk.com/ .

Chris M

Welcome

Welcome to the Adventure Network blog. The objective of this site is to allow people to share their adventures, big or small, with others and offer ideas and inspiration to like minded individuals.

Whilst most people do not have the opportunity to undertake large scale sponsored expeditions there are many who regularly seek adventure whether it be through small scale micro-adventures or longer trips but which don't quite fall into the 'Expedition' category. I will try to keep people updated with information that will hopefully provide ideas and inspiration so that people can plan and undertake their own adventres. I'm rather new at this so please bear with me.

Chris M