A team of three surgeons, one trainee surgeon, and one businessman, are going begin the Three Peaks Challenge on the 3rd of June in order to raise money for the Bowel Disease Research Foundation (BDRF).
In case climbing the three highest peaks in Britain wasn't enough, these road bike novices will also be cycling the 500 miles between the peaks!
As team member Mark Gudgeon explains:
“ As colorectal surgeons specialising in bowel disease we felt it was important to try and raise money for research into the many bowel conditions... But in seeking a challenge we wanted to try something a bit different. Lots of people do the three peaks but we thought we’d go a step further and incorporate a cycle challenge too.
It started off as just an idea last summer which we mentioned to a few people but soon realised we had told too many to back out so we're going for it!"
As the date of the challenge approaches they have been training hard on their new road bikes, participating in events such as the Hampshire Hilly 100 and the Dorking Ups and Downs Sportive. There are sure to be a few achy legs over the course of the challenge but the team, Iain Jourdan, Mark Gudgeon, Ralph Smith, Andrew Cottrell and Henry Dowson, are well prepared and are sure to give it their all.
They will begin their challenge in the saddle on the 3rd June at Caernarfon in north Wales, working their way eventually to the finish at Fort William in Scotland, and are hoping to complete this incredible challenge in just seven days.
Cheering them on throughout the challenge will be their support team, which includes Debbie Cottrell (Specialist Stomatherapist, and wife of Andrew Cottrell) and her sister Sam Lester, and Henry Dowson's wife Fiona and their son Thomas.
Check out the team’s fantastic website to find out more about the team, the challenge and how to support them: http://www.wix.com/frimleypark/3peaks
Alternatively head straight to their JustGiving page and show your support: http://www.justgiving.com/Frimley3peaks
You can also donate up to £10 via our new service, in partnership with Just TextGiving. Text TPCC11 followed by the amount (eg TPCC11 £10) to the number 70070*.
* Your donation amount will either be added to your phone bill, or deducted from your credit if you are a pay-as-you-go customer. All text messages will be completely free (T-mobile customers will be charged the normal text rate until 16th May 2011, thereafter all texts will be free), and 100% of your donation will come directly to BDRF.
This page was last updated on 12-05-2011