Red Cross Blogs

Jon conquers the world (or at least the Brecon Beacons)

By Katrina Crew
August 26, 2009 at 3:52 pm

The past few weeks, we’ve been following a fantastic blog written by Jon Winterburn, who took on two massive challenges: conquering the Brecon Beacons, and getting his friends and family to sponsor his effort.

So I visited the British Red Cross web site to see what upcoming challenges were available. I came across the “Beat the Brecons” event to be held in Wales during August and as soon as I read the description of the event I knew I’d found my challenge! What made this challenge unique was the fact that it was 3 diverse events over 3 days as opposed to one single event. I felt then that if I could cope with a 20 mile hike, followed by 20 miles of canoeing and finally 20 miles of mountain biking – all in the rugged Brecon Beacons – I could cope with anything as it would likely be a real test of stamina, endurance and commitment.

I trained steadily for the 4 months leading up to the event and only then did I begin to realise the uniqueness of this event and just how much was involved. Needing suitable kit for each of the 3 very different events was in itself a challenge! I started a blog online to record my progress both through the training and the event itself; this provided my sponsors with updates on my progress and helped to keep me focussed.

Unfortunately, one week before the event, during my final training session (20 mile bike ride in Hadleigh Country Park), I crashed my mountain bike and fractured a rib. I rested for the rest of the week and relied upon Paracetamol, Red Bull and good old adrenaline to keep me going through the event itself. The Red Cross event organisers were really supportive and ensured I was up to the events because there was no way I was going to drop out after all the training and fund-raising!

The event itself was the single most physically challenging experience I have ever been through. The hiking was hard work and our progress was hampered by relentless rain and gale-force winds. The canoeing was a very pleasant change but I quickly learnt to read the water because events change so rapidly when you’re on quite fast-moving water. How I didn’t capsize I will never know! The mountain biking was extreme – I thought I’d mountain-biked before, but I quickly realised that this was in a completely different league altogether! The terrain was always changing and often treacherous. The majority of the bike ride was uphill into the mountains and it was the most exhausting of all the events. Due to this, I felt it was the most rewarding of the 3 events.

All in all, it was very enjoyable and I really felt alive! Certainly, I’ve achieved a lot by taking part in it. I could not have done this without the fantastic support of my wife and son, family, friends and colleagues. So I would like to say a HUGE thank you to everyone who supported and sponsored me; I’m touched by the generosity of so many people. My target was £500 and to date I have raised £620. I still have to collect some of the money and I’m hoping to gain a few more donations so fingers crossed!

Equally I’d like to thank the British Red Cross for not only providing me with such an excellent experience, but for the first-class support we received during every step of the event. I certainly feel it was worthwhile and will continue to support the BRC in the future; their work is so important – not just far away from home in Africa, but in your local neighbourhood too. You never know when you will need them, so please support the British Red Cross.

 Thank you all. Should you wish to read more, my blog of this event is available at: http://jonwinterburn.wordpress.com

Jon Winterburn

Image 1 © David Eastham (www.wyepics.co.uk)
Image 2 © Clare Allen
Image 3 © Jon Winterburn

Tags: charity events, fundraising, guest blog, sponsored events

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