Richard Parks climbs Pen Y Fan 7 times!

31st July 2010

Richard Parks completed a 24-hour climb yesterday on Pen Y Fan as he continues his training and preparation for his 737 Challenge, which begins in December.

Richard completed 7 runs of the mountain in the Brecon Beacons in 24 hours with only one break of 40 minutes to sleep and refuel before climbing again.

The training exercise gave Richard the opportunity to prepare mentally for his training expedition to Tibet next month, when he will most definitely be faced with long periods of deprivation. His ability to perform with little or no sleep is vital to his success over the gruelling 7 month challenge.

The first climb to the Summit of Pen y Fan was also special for very different reasons. Richard was joined by Captain Anthony Harris of A Company, 2nd Battalion, the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers who lost his leg this year after the Jackal vehicle he was patrolling in was blown up by an IED in Sangin in May 2009. Richard and Anthony where also cheered on at the start by children from Stanwell School, Penarth.

It was the first arduous task that Captain Harris had completed since his rehabilitation at Headley Court and Richard was extremely proud to summit with Tony and other members from Project Mobility 4x4 charity. He stated; “The first climb was really special for me, it was an honour to climb with Captain Harris and to share stories along the way, hopefully in a small way I helped in his rehab”.

The final steps were an emotional moment for Captain Harris; “I was totally ecstatic as I didn’t know if I was able to achieve it, it felt great to see what my body could do again and push myself. Sitting on the top of the Beacons and just looking at the amazing view gave me that sense of freedom again and it was a real achievement for me”, he stated.

Harris added; “It was great to have Richard and the guys with me on the way down as that was toughest part for me. It just goes to show that there is so much you can do, thanks to everyone! It was great fun and I will definitely be following Richard’s progress on his challenge and wish him all the best”.

Richard’s 24 hour climb up Pen Y Fan was not only followed by Richard’s very own film crew but BFBS, the British Forces Broadcasting Service, links to video will be coming soon!

There were crucial lessons learnt throughout the testing 24 hours for Richard who summated 3 times throughout the night in poor weather conditions where visibility was only 1 metre; “The training session was tougher than I thought it would be, I’m not where I need to be physically for Cho Oyu next month, however I am a little closer now after 24 hours on Pen y Fan”.

Finally, Richard added; “I would like to say a huge thank you to the Storey Arms Centre who have been supportive throughout my preparation and especially this session, Captain Anthony Harris, Sally Povolotsky and the guys from Project Mobility 4x4 for their invaluable support and all my friends who joined me at varying times throughout the 24 hours, especially Rob and Ollie from Boulders who joined me at 3am with golf clubs!”

PEN Y FAN
Pen y Fan is the highest peak in South Wales. Situated in the Brecon Beacons at 886 metres (2,907 ft) above sea-level, it is also the highest peak in Britain south of the Snowdonia mountain range. The mountain is used by the military for training and selection processes

PROJECT MOBILITY 4X4
Project Mobility 4x4 is a charity who convert Landrovers to help conquer fears and mobility issues and give our injured soldiers the chance to have an adventure, experience and gain back some independence.

Check out the pictures from the climb on Facebook