Outside Triathlon, I would like to

plenty of Alpine peaks to cut your teeth/crampons on - with some decent 4000m ones that vary between a high mountain trek to a gnarly technical climb. perhaps book a week’s course in Chamonix which culminates in Mt Blanc - you’ll get plenty of rope/crampon work on glaciers; a training peak or 2; finally a long trek up Mt B by one of 2 routes (guide will decide). we did that over 20 years ago and then went on to climb Kili and a failed attempt on Aconcagua, neither of which are really technical (although we chose a technical climb on Aconcagua up the Polish glacier). as Jorgan says, the higher you go, the more it hurts!

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The VÄTTERNRUNDAN - just to be able to stay awake that long, starting in the evening and not needing a clinic afterwards.

I happen to know a very good company that runs Welsh 3000s trips a few times a year… OK yes, he’s a good mate!

I did it 2 years ago in 13hrs on a bit of a jolly with a bunch of mates, and a couple of other paying customers.

If you wanted a serious tilt im certain I could get a pass form my wife to go up as one of his ‘staff’ (aka get a freebie) on that same weekend. All his guides are all properly ML trained, as is he, very experienced in the region bla bla.

If you’re ever interested just pm me.

That was my first ever ‘proper’ foray into the mountains which has driven my earlier point about want to do it proper mountains one day!

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Cheers for the offer :slight_smile::blush:
But I’m a solo kinda guy. My only worry would be slipping and/or getting stranded.

The solo logistics back from Llanfairfechan are also a ball ache. But, that’s what makes it so appealing to me.
I’ve got this cool little book with hand drawn maps inside about the challenge, with a proper 1980s photo of someone running over Crib Goch on the cover.

RE: NC500 - great 36 minute video on GCN with Mark Beaumont about this. (No mention of midgies, or that Avon body cream is your best friend for a repellant)

@jeffb - I’ve not visited every UK city/county. Let alone Europe and the US :scream:

i’m with you there mate…but i have to stay on the red these days…

Complete my Run Across Rwanda challenge…

Run Cradle to Grave

Sort out my kayaking so i can up my NZC2C to the Longest Day

Successfully support/coach an athlete through A2A

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Yeah i don’t know if it’ll ever happen … but you’ve got to dream!

I have a good friend who is an ML assessor and all that jazz. So i’m sure between him and his contacts we could probably cook up something in the Alps one year. I just wish i had met him 10-12 years ago before i had kids. Funny how life goes! He’s a few years older than me, so his kids are a bit more grown up. But maybe once mine are all settled in school (in 4 years time) then we may be able to escape for a long weekend or something. Though if this does happen, we’ll probably end up doing a trail/ultra in the mountains instead (along with a few more of our current group of mates).

As for non tri:
Really want to go to Madagascar & Japan
Want to take my girls on safari - preferably Malawi, Tanzania maybe Uganda

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Nothing like an ‘alpine start’ after a carafe or two of wine in the hut :thinking:

Bob Graham,

I’m doing leg 2 for a mate next weekend & it has sucked me in a bit.

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Don’t fancy all three rounds with 200 mile bikes between them?

Thing that puts me off about that is the slightly Waltish fraternity you have to become part of and have someone validate you have done it. Same with a channel swim, have to join in with all those oddments down at Dover.

Doesn’t work well with my anti-social lone-wolf persona :rofl:

tell me about it! Mrs FB celebrated her 50th in the (old) Gouter Refuge on our 2nd climb of Mt Blanc (we turned back at the Vallot Hut due to 100kph+ winds and piss poor visibility) - the guardians made her a birthday cake and we drank a fair bit of vino collapso…thinking about it now, maybe that’s why we turned back… :upside_down_face:

An old clubmate of mine did a self planned “MootMan” which had a length of Coniston swim, fred whitton starting a Coniston and a bob graham to finish it off. Race report here

One step at a time haha

I’ve joined the BG facebook page and there is a bit of a community of supporters. There are quite a few folk who just shout out and ask for support & they seem to usually be accommodated but yer you have to join the community.

Love that, thanks for the link. That sounds my sort of thing. No crowds, self run, something mad.

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Oh… and RAAAAAM ofc.

Finally penning a response as thought this was a nice thread:

Few similar related sporting aims like a stand-alone marathon.

But real dream is to do some trips rather than races, maybe swims like Windermere/Gibraltar (but unlikely to ever justify cost of serious OWS), but even more so something like LEJOG or to explore the highlands self supported, that would be completely novel for me and arguably more outside comfort zone too.

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Now that I can’t run any more, my horizon is multi day cycling and I’ve ticked the Raid Pyrenean which was the bucket list item.
Raid du Massif Central was much better IMHO.

Later this year I plan to do my own ‘Raid Cymru’ (6 days, 600 miles from my front door) and next year I’ll be 55 so planning either NC500 or Raid Alpine - the former looks favourite as some mates are interested.

Longer term, some more distance swimming if I can get motivated to train and more multi day hikes (once the lad has grown up a bit and can carry my gear!).

Did the Welsh 3000 in 14 hrs end to end many years ago (Pen-y-Pass to Aber), a good day out - none of this summit to summit timing for me :slight_smile:
There are so many great multi-day hikes too. Patagonia will be on the list again if I can persuade the Mrs

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Quick, trademark that :yum:

I guess the Brian Chapman is the closest thing to that; although different concept as it’s non-stop.