Training for the Ty Hafan 5in55
In a month’s time, on 4th July 2018, a group of Dad’s from Ty Hafan will be in a mini bus for 12 hours on their way to Ben Nevis in Scotland. On the 5th July, they start climbing the mountain, the first stage of the gruelling Ty Hafan 5in55 mountain challenge.
Since being invited to join the team and record the challenge pictorially, I have been in training. The training started gently and has intensified since the beginning of April. This was when I really started considering the magnitude of the challenge: climbing Ben Nevis, Scafell Pyke, Snowdon, Cadair Idris and Pen-y-Fan in 55 hours.
Since the beginning of April, I started to record details of my training for the Ty Hafan 5in55 and have walked just over 130 miles in just over 50 hours whilst burning over 37,000 calories. I also picked up two separate lower leg and calf injuries that prevented me from training for over 2 weeks. A sign of age, I think!
My main training walks have been around the Garth Hill, just outside Pentyrch, and up and down the peaks around Pen-y-Fan. I have walked in snow blizzards, pouring rain, and blazing sunshine, typical weather for beautiful South Wales. There was one memorable walk with several of the Dads who are taking on the #5in55 challenge when we found ourselves walking in waist deep snowdrifts and thick ice as we climbed up Pen-y-Fan on 2nd April.
However, I still do not feel ready to take on the challenge and more work is needed.
When I signed up for the Ty Hafan 5in55 challenge I did not really comprehend the amount of time I would need to devote to training. It means sometimes getting up early in the morning and I cannot remember the number of times I have missed an evening meal with my family. Without the support of my wife, Jackie, I wouldn’t be able to do this. There are times when her encouragement makes sure that I go on that next training walk.
It is the same for all the Dads taking part. I know of several who are going through really tough times at the moment and yet still manage to train. Without the support of our wonderful partners and families, taking on this challenge would be impossible. You are our amazing and, often, invisible backroom support team and we could not do this without you.
Also, thanks to everyone who has supported us so far. One of my clients, Bunting Magnetics Europe Ltd, has sponsored Ben Nevis and another client, Legends Hospitality, raised £370 during one of their rugby hospitality events. On Thursday 7th June, a good friend of mine, the elite magician Bryan Gunton, is putting on a special magic show in his The Small Room theatre in Barry with all proceeds from ticket sales going to the #5in55 challenge (tickets are still available at £20 each). There are also hundreds of people who have supported us with donations and works of encouragement – please check out our #5in55 Just Giving page. Thanks! Your support helps us put on our walking boots and go on another training walk.
There are still a lot of miles to walk before we all climb on that minibus to Ben Nevis. Hopefully, by putting in the hard work now, we can all enjoy the experience.
To sponsor the Ty Hafan Dads on their #5in55 Mountain Challenge please go to:
Just Giving – Ty Hafan #5in55 Challenge
Paul Fears is an industrial and commercial photography based in South Wales. For more information or to discuss a specific photography project, please contact Paul on:
Tel: 07909 103789 or 01443 207773
Email: paul@paulfearsphoto.co.uk