Physical Digital’s intrepid 3D scanning team has achieved the Three Peaks Challenge.
The Three Peaks Challenge requires individuals to climb up and down each of the highest peaks in England, Wales and Scotland within 24 hours including travelling time between each mountain. Partly the event was a team challenge, involving physical and mental endurance and relying on close-knit and supportive teamwork to ensure every member of the group achieved the challenge.
In addition, the team wanted to raise money for a valued local charity, the Woking and Sam Beare Hospices, which supports patients nearing the end of their lives. Team Challenge We are fortunate to have such a great team at Physical Digital, but the extent of this challenge would test our teamwork to the limit. Calling themselves ‘Six Geeks, Three Peaks’ our four engineers and two partners also took a light-hearted series of trials and competitions along the way.
As a result of one competition, Dan Lainchbury, our Engineering Manager, was required to climb Scafell Pike in the chilly evening wearing shorts. We took with us our mascot, Scanny the Scan-a-saurus, who appears in some of the photos on the tops of the mountains. All for a good cause If you are going to test yourself to the extreme with a challenge like this, it makes sense to do it for charity, to make the blisters and aching limbs worthwhile. It was an easy choice to select the cause: the Woking and Sam Beare Hospices perform such vital and life-affirming support for individuals across Surrey but only 27 per cent of their funding comes from the NHS or other grants.
The timing of the Three Peaks challenge coincided with the weekend of the charity’s annual Midnight Walk, which took place overnight on 20 May. By the end of the walk, the magnificent total raised by supportive family and friends was more than twice the amount we had initially aimed to achieve. Challenge Team Leader Benjamin Singer, our Senior Applications Engineer, was delighted with the amount of over £900, saying; “When we came up with the challenge, we just wanted to raise a bit of money for the local hospice. We have been overwhelmed with the generosity of our friends and families who have got behind us and helped us to achieve this amazing sum.”
The satisfaction of achieving the challenge is magnified by our pleasure in donating this amount to the marvellous staff at the Woking and Sam Beare Hospices. Planning and preparation Careful planning and organised logistics and were key to the success of the challenge. The team, ably led by Ben Singer, worked hard to improve fitness and stamina before the event. Then there was the time spent poring over maps and agonising over timings as well as organising the necessary equipment. The team decided to start at Ben Nevis, the highest peak and also the furthest away.
The time of year allowed for a good amount of daylight for climbing the peaks. This meant that only a couple of hours would be spent in the dark, climbing the final peak, Snowdon. As Ben explained about the logistics: “Travel time between the peaks would be a major factor in the timing of the challenge. It would be frustrating to climb all the mountains within the time allotted and then to find the team van stuck in traffic! We were aiming to drive between peaks at quiet times of day so the chances of traffic jams would be minimal.” Challenge by numbers: The winning statistics: The start time at the base of Ben Nevis was at 07.10am on Saturday 21 May. Ben Nevis: Achieved in 5hours 17minutes 21 seconds. The total distance of this challenge was 17.14km and the peak was 1349m above sea level. Our average pace was 18.31 minutes per kilometre, giving an average speed of 3.2km per hour. Scafell Pike: Completed in 3 hours 30 minutes and 43 seconds.
The total distance walked was 7.93km and the peak was 981m above sea level. The average speed of the team was 2.3 km per hour. Snowdon: By now the exhaustion was kicking in but the clock was ticking away so we were feeling the pressure. We reached the peak but when we were descending we knew that we only had 30 minutes to finish the last 2.2km. So speed overtook sense and we mostly ran the last part of the trail, achieving the final 2.2km in 20 minutes and 19 seconds. That meant that we ascended and descended Snowdon in a total of 4 hours and 14 minutes.
Our finish time was at the base of Snowdon at 06.49am on Sunday 22nd May. We had done it with eleven minutes to spare! Difficulties One of the major difficulties we discovered was the drive between each peak, requiring stamina and lots of coffee for the drivers among the team. It was a lonely journey when all five of your passengers had fallen asleep! Map reading and finding the track up Snowdon in the dark were among our low points. Experience showed that descending the peaks was more stressful for the joints, especially the knees, than making the ascent to the trig point. Looking ahead Once the blisters have healed and the memories of aching limbs fades, the inevitable question arises…what next for Physical Digital’s top team? There is already talk of the European Three Peaks, so watch this space!
To find out more or to gain the team’s top tips for the Three Peaks, contact us or call 01483 750200. Donate to Woking and Sam Beare Hospices here.
