Four friends from Crowborough have battled “horrific” weather conditions to complete the famous Three Peaks Challenge and raise thousands for charity.
The team of four, all connected to Crowborough Rugby Club, managed to scale Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike, and Snowdon in under 24 hours – despite 60mph gales, sub-zero temperatures, heavy rain, and flooding.
Prostate Cancer UK
And in doing so James Lee, Chris Keene, Mike Churchyard, and Andy Bover have already raised more than £8,000 for Prostate Cancer UK – shattering their initial £2,000 target.
Speaking to Crowborough News after the completing the gruelling feat, James said: “It was truly one of the most amazing and one of the hardest things I have ever done. The hiking and climbing was bad enough but the conditions were absolutely horrific. We arrived at the summit of Ben Nevis in 60mph winds and with temperatures -5C. We literally couldn’t stand.”
Under 24 hours
The Three Peaks Challenge tasks competitors with summitting the highest peaks in Scotland, England, and Wales – including driving in between – in under 24 hours. That means walking more than 25 miles (up mountains) and scaling more than 3,000 metres (almost 10,000 feet). The Crowborough team finished in an astonishing 23 hours 19 minutes.
James said: “It was really very tough – mentally as well as physically. We felt safe because we were in Mike’s hands and he’s a trained mountain leader, but at times the weather was apocalyptic.” The group never felt like giving up, however. “I had written 6,000 across both hands which was the amount we had raised at the time. Any time I thought `this is impossible’ I simply looked down at my hands and there were 6,000 reasons to go on.”
Of the group three did the mountain challenges while Andy was the driver who, despite flooding and road diversions successfully delivered them to each mountain.
James said the motivation for the challenge was a personal one. “My father was diagnosed with stage 4 prostate cancer in November last year. It was a massive shock for the whole family and I wanted to do something positive out of something so terrible.”
Euphoria
That meant completing the challenge was very special. He described the moment. “It was sheer euphoria, and it was also extremely emotional. I phoned my dad straight away and we were both emotional. He couldn’t believe we had done it and was so proud of us.”
As well as raising money for the Prostate Cancer charity, James said he hoped the challenge would also get a very clear message across to all men. “The truth is prostate cancer is a silent killer. I would urge every man to get checked regularly. I know many think it involves an invasive examination, but normally it’s not, and it’s just a PSA blood test. It’s so easy and can save your life.”
If you want to support the team with a donation, visit: https://www.justgiving.com/page/james-mike-chris-james