24Seven Challenge

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24seven rises to the Challenge

Jo Pockett / 21.10.2008

Participants of the first ever 24seven Challenge, which took place on 11 & 12 October, are celebrating their achievement in completing the endurance event whilst helping to raise £36,000 for CLIC Sargent, the UK's leading children's cancer charity.

A total of 68 people took part in the event, which pushed body and mind to the limit with a series of seven physical and mental challenges completed over 24 hours. Up until the event started at 12pm on Saturday, participants were kept in the dark as to exactly what the event would require them to do, which was all part of the fun!

The challenge, which took place in the beautiful Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, began with a mini triathlon encompassing mountain biking, running and kayaking down the River Wye. The 21 teams of 3, and 4 individuals that took part were then faced with a 530 piece jigsaw featuring one of the children that CLIC Sargent has helped, which they had to complete at rest intervals over the course of the 24 hours.

Other challenges that they were faced with during the event, which was blessed with glorious weather, included a 10 mile orienteering course through forests, caves and across water, a 6 mile mountain bike trail with memory tests and an ominous task aptly named ‘Water Torture’!

27 year old Tom Inchley from Milton Keynes won the individual event, closely followed by Lewis Rumsey from St. Leonards on Sea and Liz Williams from Cheltenham. The team category was won by ‘Airtight’, which was formed by Michael Paterson from Middlesex and Rob Rafferty and Richard Fitxhugh from London. Richard said:

“A brilliant 24seven event - what great fun and great fundraising. Hard to believe that this was the first one as it ran like clockwork. Clearly winning it dulls the aches and pains we have, but the legs will never be the same again! Having been subjected to exhaustion, both physical and mental, frustration and confusion, indecision, stress and trauma it was quite a weekend. But at the end we get to go home – and this, I guess, is the key point. A 24-hour glimpse of the sort of emotions that the patients and families that CLIC Sargent helps, go through. Except, they don’t get to go home after one day.�See All Event Posts