The team at Solmedia took part in a 90-hour Endurathon Challenge from Monday 3rd June until Friday 7th June to celebrate the company’s 90th Anniversary and raise funds for Macmillan Cancer Support. The team took individual turns to participate in a physical activity of their choice, for a length of time of their choice, to collectively reach a total of 90 consecutive hours of physical activity. The Endurathon was live streamed on the Solmedia website with feeds on their social media also to keep people up to date on where they were up to in the challenge and donations could be made through the Just Giving fundraising page.
The Beginning
The Endurathon was kickstarted by Regional Account Manager Oro Simpson, in the early morning hour of 4 am on Monday 3rd June, setting the standards for the whole challenge with a 3-hour walk. Throughout the week, we saw members from all departments of the company get involved in multiple different activities. This includes members from Customer Services, Sales, Warehouse, Servicing, Marketing, Product Development, Operations, Purchasing and even our Directors. We had participants take part from all around the country and the world, from Shrewsbury to Macclesfield to Bristol then to overseas in Ireland and Spain.
Highlights
The challenge was built up of activities such as walking, cycling, running, rowing, home workouts, and kickboxing. Here are the highlights from the challenge:
– Dave Carruth, our Operations Manager walked 7 hours covering 28.7 km.
– Nick Wallach, our Sales Director, sets the standards with not just 1 but 2 long walks, that took him from night to day, setting off in the dark and watching the sunrise on his way down. Nick’s first walk took him 27 miles across the Church Stretton hills ascending 4,817 ft in total walking a total of 12 hours from 9 pm to 9 am. Nick rested his legs and got back up on Day 3, returning to the Shropshire Hills at 9 pm, walking the Cordon Hill, Pole Bank, Black Radley and Ragleth Hill, the set of Hills that make up the Long Mynd. He walked an additional 10 hours, covering 24 miles and climbing 3,868 ft in the process.
– Ian Evans went on 3 walks during the challenge, equalling a total of 16 km walked.
– Jack Murdock, our lab chemist walked a total of 7 hours covering 21 km, as well as a 2-hourlong spin class that was equivalent to 43 km on a bike.
– Damian, our Warehouse Assistant shook things up with an hour-long kickboxing class along with 2 cycle rides.
– Ian Kibble and his furry companion Murphy joined the challenge from the south of the country, going on 3 walks including 2 in one day, accumulating a total of 12.79 km walked.
– Zowie Watkins and her furry friend Chester, took on Ian and Murphy all the way from Shrewsbury walking a total of 2 hours and covering 6 miles.
– Gordon Wallach, Director of Solmedia, joined the challenge as our oldest contender at 82, walking 1.28 miles.
– Calvin Joynt, one of our Regional Account Managers, joined the challenge from Ireland, powering through a knee injury and walking 8 km in 2 hours.
– Mike took on two activities, cycling nearly 5 km and walking an impressive 8km equalling to 2 and a half hours of activity.
– Alfie, Warehouse Assistant walked an impressive 12km in 3 hours.
– Steven Ramsis, our newest member of the team, joined the challenge from overseas in Spain, walking a total of 5 hours in the 30°C heat and even dragging his dad along with him too.
– Neil Evans our Warehouse Manager unwinds from the from the day with an hour bike ride covering 15.2 km and a quick stop off at the Circus.
– Victoria heated things up with an hour HiiT session and then cooled things down with an hour-long walk covering 5 km.
– Delores, organiser of this magnificent fundraiser, walked Haughmond Hill achieving an incredible 9 km in 1 hour and 40 minutes followed by a quick 15-minute walk later on in the challenge.
– Yvonne escaped the rain we had in the week and opted in for 2x home workouts with her son Harry cheering her on along the way.
– Fabio Wallach, travels all the way to Wales and sets the dark in the early hours of midnight, stumbling along the beaten tracks of Wales, walking a remarkable 44 km along the coast starting in Barmouth. Fabio’s legs carried him to Arthog, then Dolgellau, then back up the Cadiar road and over the hills to find himself in Barmouth again at 12 pm, walking a total of 12 hours.
– Darren, our Technical Service Manager, swaps his tools for two wheels as he cycles for an hour and a half in the Shropshire terrain covering 16 km.
– Tyran Wallach steps up for our purchasing team with multiple activities, kick-starting with an hour lunchtime walk, walking a quick 6 km. This was followed by another walk the next day however this time he got caught in the rain leaving him with wet wellies and soggy socks after an hour. Tyran then couldn’t stay away from the water, rowing his kayak on the River Severn for 10 hours, coving 41 km and taking our challenge tour target a total of 90 hours.
104 Hours Later
After a week full of physical activity, James Wallach our Director, goes for gold with his trusted two wheels taking on two nighttime bike rides. James dodges late-night drivers on Day 2 of the challenge, cycling 30 km around the outskirts of Shrewsbury for 2 hours. However, his second bike ride brings in the victory, concluding our 5-day Endurathon with an incredible 14-hour cycle, navigating his way from Shrewsbury to Holyhead in the dark, starting at 10 pm and arriving in Holyhead at 2 pm the following day, cycling an outstanding 173 km with an elevation of higher than Snowdon of 4,704 ft. James was our last contender of the Endurathon, bringing our challenge to an end at 2 pm Friday 7th June, with a phenomenal accumulative total of 104 hours of physical activity!
Endurathon Success
Minus the long hours, tiredness and aching bodies, the Endurathon was a great success. Having set the target of 90 hours in honour of our 90th Anniversary, we exceeded expectations by a staggering 15 hours, collectively participating in physical activities for a total of 104 hours over the course of 5 days and covering an incredible 655.89 km/407 miles walking, rowing, cycling and more.
However, our overarching goal was to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support and with the support of our suppliers, our customers, our followers on social media, our friends and our family we managed to raise an incredible £2,656 for Macmillan Cancer Support.
We would like to say a massive thank you to everyone who supported our Endurathon challenge and donated to Macmillan Cancer Support.
Why Macmillan Cancer Support
Macmillan Cancer Support is a charity that is very close to our hearts who are 98% funded by voluntary donations and goes towards people who are living with cancer. That includes patients who have been diagnosed with cancer, their friends and family who are supporting and affected by their loved ones with cancer as well as providing healthcare professionals with up-to-date recourses and training to care and support cancer patients in addition to supporting the research that goes on behind the scenes to help beat cancer.
Right now, the number of people diagnosed with cancer in the UK is 3 million, but this is projected to rise to 4 million by 2030. This rapidly growing number of people diagnosed with cancer need access to vital support from day one of their diagnosis, but our healthcare system needs help and it’s failing people with cancer.
NHS cancer waiting times are dangerously long for tests and treatment. Over the last decade, at least 100,000 people have seen their cancer progress, or get worse due to these delays. The good news is, that Macmillan are here to do whatever it takes to help ensure people with cancer can live life to the fullest, but we can’t do it alone.
Their donations help Macmillan deliver personalised cancer support and also fight for the interests of cancer patients by holding UK governments to account and urging them to make the investments the system needs.