The following article appeared in the programme for Racing Club Warwick v Biddulph Victoria on 10th September 2005.
Pre-season training? I’m sure that it’s something that the Racing Club players dread. They have a long hard season followed by a well-earned break of perhaps eight weeks before it starts all over again. Us supporters have it easy don’t we? We enjoy a leisurely pint or three in the social club before wandering over to the sidelines to aim a few choice comments in the general direction of somebody who may not be trying hard enough in our opinion. What do we know about hard physical training? Well nothing! So this close season I decided to test myself. To put myself through a physical ordeal that would leave my body aching and allow me to look the players in the eye come the opening day of the season. What could be a bigger test than doing the three peaks over the course of 33 hours?
Between Friday 24th and Saturday 25th June 2005, around 200 people from the UK Rail Industry, divided into teams of four, hauled themselves up the three highest peaks in Wales, England and Scotland. One of their number was yours truly. Pre-event training? No thank you! My once a week trip to the local gym for an hour and a bit of the cross trainer and weights was going to have to be good enough! I’ve never actually done any hiking or even rambling before and my theory was that, had I done any dry runs before the event, I would have been in serious danger of putting myself off! Much better just to turn up and get on with it! The only similar thing that I had previously done was a charity Coast-to-Coast bike ride in 2003. That was also without much preparation and I did manage it (just) – the intervening two years had allowed me to blank out the aches and pains! Motivation this time would just have to be £2,000 worth of sponsors money that I managed to raise in advance. I couldn’t possibly fail, could I?
19:00 Thursday 23rd June
With the car safely parked I walk half-mile or so up to Crewe railway station. Upon arrival I’m pleased to discover the Three Peaks Registration sign and I immediately go and declare myself to be as ready as I’ll ever be. I then settle myself down into the oven that is the staff room for Virgin Trains employees. A phone call from a team mate tells me that the train, which left London Euston at 18:00, is making slow progress and is only at Polesworth (apparently it’s near Nuneaton!). I hope that this is not a sign of things to come. As I look around the waiting room at the rucksacks and holdalls of some of the other participants, I start to wonder if I’m the only one without walking poles.
21:10 Thursday 23rd June
The train arrives and I meet the rest of my team for the first time. Ten minutes later and the train pulls out, headed for Bangor and only 13 minutes late. The train itself has been rustled up via a series of freebies begged and borrowed by the organisers of the event: EWS providing the locos, Porterbrook the carriages (all first class by the way) and staffed by Virgin Trains. This train is to be our home for the next two days!
We arrive at Bangor at 23:30 (an hour late), already changed into our hiking gear. One essential for this leg of the event (perhaps “leg” is not the right term for an event of three parts but bear with me) is a head torch: we will be doing Snowdon mainly in the dark. We transfer onto a coach that takes us to Pen-y-pas and access to “The Pyg Track” (how appropriate!) up Snowdon.
00:20 Friday 24th June
It’s
a perfect night for it: cool, clear and not a breath of wind. Each
participating team has been given a number and a call sign for the event: we’re
33 and “Olympia” (all the teams are named after London Underground stations). We set off at
brief intervals (a bit like a rally). The footpath peters out into a track
within 100 metres and we’re straight into a steep climb. I think that it’s a
good job that it’s dark as it’s difficult to see the climb ahead or the steep
drops on either side. My head torch lights the way ahead and the footholds are
so uneven that it’s vital to concentrate on securing each footstep. This is a
surprise for me: I wasn’t expecting the path to be quite so rough (mark that
one down to my lack of preparation!).
We can hear the progress of several other teams as each team has been provided with a two-way radio. Within half an hour “Challenge Base” is receiving it’s first calls telling them that team members are turning around or are splitting up because some members want to go faster than others – don’t they understand what the word “team” means?
02:10 Friday 24th June
Snowdon, the highest mountain in Wales at 1,085 metres (3,559 feet in old money), is conquered and not a Sherpa in sight! We’ve made it! In under two hours as compared to our guide time of 2 1/2 hours. It is a satisfying moment for our team and there are handshakes all round. We pose for the obligatory photograph. Two of my sponsors have said that they will only pay up if I have my photo taken at the top of each peak holding a Racing Club Warwick FC pennant. I thank the lord that they didn’t want me to cart anything else up the mountains!
The view at the top of Snowdon is spectacular: the twinkling lights of North Wales shine far below. With chocolate eaten and water consumed, it’s time for the descent. The descent produces my second surprise of the night: it’s harder than the ascent! On your way up the next step rises up in front of you whereas on the way down it’s below your feet. This may seem obvious but, in the dark, you’ve got to be very careful where you put your foot. As we near the starting point dawn breaks and it becomes clearer how steep the climb was and how far the drops on either side are! The descent took just under two hours. Back at base the local cafĂ© has opened up especially for us and we reward ourselves with bacon and egg butties and lashings of hot tea. A well-earned nights work! Then it’s back onto the bus and back to Bangor station.
06:25 Friday 24th June
The train pulls out of Bangor on time, headed for Ravenglass in the Lake District via Chester and Preston. The route includes part of the wonderful Barrow Coast Line. We arrive in Ravenglass on time at 10:57 and, having enjoyed 40 winks along the way, this feels like the start of a new day rather than the continuation of the same day as Snowdon.
How would I fare on this second mountain? Well in classic dramatic style, you’ll have to wait until next time folks (there’s an incentive to come and buy the Racing Club programme for the next home game).
Keep the faith!
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