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AMITY CHARITY CHALLENGE
A three-day charity challenge by Chris Coan , in support of Nightingale House Hospice and Nicola ’ s Fund .
Chris Coan planned and carried out an intense three-day challenge at the end of September this year , in memory of three very special people in his life who have sadly been lost to cancer over the years .
AMITY challenge was born out of a trip to Ibiza last year , when Chris went away to contemplate on life , and came back fired up wanting to do something , however small , to help support meaningful and valuable local charities after what had been a whirlwind 12 months for Chris ’ own health having been diagnosed himself with prostate cancer back in 2019 .
Chris said : " After all of the discussions , preparation and build up , the three day event went even better than we could have hoped ; plenty of support , and the weather even pulled through for us ."
Here is a brief summary from Chris of the three days events - a trilogy of effort and emotion :
Day One : Time Trial from The Ring O ’ Bells in Christleton . Goal of 60km in two hours . “ I was fired up to achieve my ambitious goal of 60km on my road bike in two hours , spurred on by the fear of failure , Hems de Winter and I completed the task in 1hr 57mins . Breathe and relax as we ' ve not fallen at the first hurdle . That being said , we did try manfully , as I slipped , fell and sprained my wrist in The Ring O ' Bells before we ' d even pushed a pedal on the bikes , but let ’ s pretend that didn ’ t happen .”
Day Two : Cycle from Chester to Abersoch through Snowdonia National Park . “ This was breaking new ground in distance and terrain for me , in essence virgin territory . Chester to Abersoch through Snowdonia , covering a distance of 140km with 6,000ft of climbing . The positive approach of ‘ ignorance is bliss ’ undoubtedly helped with me succeeding this leg in 6hrs 51mins . Sometimes knowledge is a dangerous thing , because
if I ' d have known then what I know now , would I have even started ? Who knows .”
Day Three : Half Marathon from Abersoch to Morfa Nefyn , across the Llyn Peninsula . “ The collective concern of my body failing to make it to the starting line was banished , when the motivation of one more leg and goal focused central in my mind . Running was my thing in times gone by , however ‘ the mind is willing but the body is ... 60 years old ", as the saying goes ! In spite of relative fatigue we managed to complete the half marathon from The Vaynol in Abersoch to The Ty Coch in Morfa Nefyn in 2hrs 18mins .
" Challenge complete , breathe a sigh of relief ."
Chris said : " Along the way , there are moments of reflection . The support shown by friends , family , locals and those associated with the charities , made such a huge impact on each of the days - at The Ring O ’ Bells in Christleton , at Boughton Hall Cricket Club , at The Vaynol in Abersoch , and finally the Ty Coch in Morfa Nefyn . It meant so much to all of us and gave a massive lift in energy and motivation each time . So thank you to everyone who showed their faces . A special thanks goes to all those who ' ve helped in the planning and execution of this challenge but a special acknowledgement to Hems de Winter for being there every step of the way across all three daily challenges , and last but first in most ways , my daughter Ella , for helping plan , support and contribute throughout this crazy indulgent experience .
" And now for the question on everyone ' s lips , how much did we raise ? £ 11,168 , as it stands , we are hoping to gain some final donations in the coming weeks .
" Thank you all for your contributions , this final figure will go a long way for both charities in what is such a worthy cause and will help so many in the North West . That ’ s all for now . Until next time ... maybe ."
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