Winning Spirit Magazine September - October 2013 September - October 2013 | Page 16

WINNING SPIRIT IN ACTIO
of the three pe
It’s called the Three Peaks Challenge, and a challenge it is. For
those interested in this endurance event, the task is pretty
straight-forward: climb the three highest peaks in England, Wales
and Scotland—all within a 24 hour time period. For Andrew
Johnson, that challenge has been crossed off his bucket list.
“I was born and raised just outside
of London, so it’s always been
something I wanted to do,” shared
Andrew. “I enlisted the support of
my family and we began training for
six months to prepare.”
The challenge involves a total
ascent of almost 10,000 feet, a
hiking distance of approximately 30
miles and over 450 miles of driving
among the three mountains.
“It was incredibly difficult, and in
true British form, it rained on each
mountain,” Andrew continued. “The
summits were very cold, dipping below freezing. The visibility was
down to as little as 10 feet at times.”
All of this made navigation
critical.
“Even with GPS, it was easy to
get lost. Plus, there are multiple
routes up each mountain, so
it was important to determine
if you wanted to take the
steeper, shorter route or an
easier but longer route. It was
a real test of time and energy
management.”
Ben Nevis
4,409 feet / 11 miles
Scafe
3,209 feet