Alex’s bold effort peaks at £1,500
Sep 19 2007 by Iain Laing, The Journal
AN intrepid sales manager from Durham has overcome stifling heat to conquer the three highest mountain peaks in Spain, raising over £1,500 for humanitarian aid agency, CARE International.
Sheer determination, physical stamina and months of training enabled Alex Coates, of IT firm Waterstons, to complete the gruelling challenge in just 24 hours.
The challenge began with a 3am start at Gatwick Airport where a team of 15 athletes began their journey to the foothills of the Nevada mountain range in southern Spain.
Alex and the team then embarked on a 20km uphill cycle ride, climbing 1,000m in just four hours, with temperatures in excess of 30C.
Day two saw a 10-hour challenge where the team climbed up to the peaks of the first and third highest Spanish mountains, reaching nearly 3,500m, which is nearly three times the height of the UK’s highest mountain.
The final day saw the teams complete anexhausting 20km uphill mountain bike ride to the second highest peak. They then raced 65km downhill to the city of Granada in Europe’s longest downhill cycle run. On completion of the challenge, the team was rewarded with commemorative T-shirts, medals and an ice-cold beer.
Alex said: “This challenge was definitely the hardest thing I have done in my entire life. The rough terrain and relentless uphill sections, compounded by the heat and altitude, pushed me right to the limit of physical exertion. The sponsorship money and support back home motivated me to keep going, even when things got really tough.”
Waterstons technical director Andrew Kershaw said: “I raced with Alex in last year’s charity challenge and have seen first-hand the sheer grit and determination that enabled him to complete this difficult challenge. Everyone at Waterstons is really proud of his remarkable achievement and thrilled to see Alex play a part in raising the grand total of over £40,000 for CARE International.”
CARE International is a global humanitarian organisation working with over 45 million disadvantaged people in 70 of the world’s poorest countries. Whether supporting primary health care, promoting sustainable agriculture or developing savings and loan schemes, its programmes promote positive and lasting change and reduce long-term dependency. CARE also provides emergency food and shelter to survivors of natural disasters, wars and conflicts.
To sponsor Alex and make a donation to CARE International, go to http://www.justgiving.com/teamwaterstons
