Climbing high for The Stroke Association
13th August '09
On the 4th August at 8:15am CET Ian stood on the summit of Mont Blanc (4810m, the highest peak in Western Europe) in memory of his Granddad, to raise money and awareness for The Stroke Association. Over to Ian…
“It’s hard to explain quite how tough but incredible the day was for me, as there’s little I can compare it to. The cold and strong winds nearly took me off my feet a few times, which was particularly draining on terrain that required complete concentration. However, the feeling of reaching the summit, combined with the personal motivation of why I attempted the climb when I did, made the whole experience very special. After a 15hr long day climbing on the mountain, I was very glad to be back down in Chamonix. But now I can’t wait to get back up to high altitudes to test myself again, and I’m not short of ideas for what to attempt next!”
Ian’s climb of Mont Blanc is part of a year long series of challenges, including the Great North Run (the largest half marathon in the world) in September, the Leicester Half Marathon in October and the New York Marathon in November. These future challenges will wrap up over 100 miles of competitive road running and ascents of two of the world’s tallest mountains (Ian climbed Mount Toubkal in March, the highest peak in North Africa).
To keep up to date with Ian’s charity challenges you can follow his blog or twitter feed, and if you’d like to make a donation to The Stroke Association for all Ian’s running/climbing this year go to www.justgiving.com/ian2009.
Photos
Ian on the summit of Mont Blanc (Main)
Summit ridge of the Weissmies, Switzerland (Top right)
Ian on top of the Allalinhorn, Switzerland (Bottom right)
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