Dales trek is John's dream
MENTAL toughness will be allied to physical fitness by a Calder Valley endurance walker in his bid to raise a bumper sum for charity by walking 100 miles in just two days at the end of May.
John Shackleton has a track record for endurance walking, clocking up 51 miles in a day three years ago when he raised a bumper 7,500 for the charity Cancer Research UK, for which he has raised another 1,000 since.
Back then his target was 51 miles, one for each year of his age, and he followed the Mary Towneley Loop bridleway route. Now, at 54, he is facing what he describes as his ultimate challenge - 100 miles in the Yoredale 100, an event organised by the Long Distance Walking Association.
It's the walk of John's dreams, both in terms of walking country and the mental and physical challenge it represents, and once again he will be walking to raise money for Cancer Research UK.
John, of Higher Eastwood, Todmorden, explained that the Long Distance Walking Association host the 100-mile two-day challenge in a different part of the country each year and he made certain of getting his entry in for the event held in the Dales.
"I have known it was coming to Skipton for three years and I have loved the Dales since I was a kid. We always had one day a year when mum and dad would take us up to the Dales and I have always had an affinity with it," he said.
"So to spend two days walking through it...if the weather's good it could be blissful," he said.
John, an experienced distance walker, is aware that mental toughness and physical fitness will be paramount, but he is relishing the challenge.
"I've been renovating a house for the last 18 months - I've been stuck inside and I'm an outdoor person. It's limited my walking, so it's been great to get out onto the hills again," he said.
Working on a limited timescale John suffered a bad injury setback in January when he pulled a calf muscle while playing badminton to build up anaerobic strength in his legs.
He is now playing catch up but since taking to the hills again he has experienced no reaction to the injury and with six weeks to go until the May 24 and 25 walk is working up the miles in conditions which have varied from superbly sunny one week to last Sunday's blizzard.
Happy with nature and walking comfortably and well, John didn't mind either, although cool and dry on the days of the walk itself would be welcomed!
Equally important, he says, is the mental effort needed to sustain walkers on an endurance challenge like this where, due to physical fatigue and lack of sleep, many start to lose their lucidity by the end, although rigorous safety systems are in place.
He has spoken to Todmorden distance walker Steve Perry, who covered some vast distances while on his own marathons, including conquering all 284 Scottish Munros in winter, and Steve has been pleased to give John some additional tips.
Age should not, he believes be a problem, as the average age of walkers tackling the challenge each year is around 53, many having stayed with it since the 100-miler started in 1973.
Nordic walking poles, used by him for the first time while recovering from the calf injury, are a good "plus" he says.
"Mental strength in the second 50 miles is the key, it's not just a physical walk," says John.
"I want to enjoy a really good walk in beautiful scenery. It's a social event too, with walkers encouraging each other on."
There is also the not to be underestimated charity side to the challenge too. John did his initial walk three years ago after losing several close friends to cancer in a matter of months and wants as many people as possible to back him on the walk.
To this end Dave Montgomery of Advantage Computers at Walsden has designed his website www.shack-100.co.uk which outlines aspects of the challenge, looks back at the 2005 walk and, crucially, provides an online link where people can sponsor him.
In addition to more traditional methods of collecting sponsorship, John hopes it will reach people outside of the Todmorden and Hebden Bridge areas too and bring in even more money for the charity to research and fight the condition.
Meanwhile, cheques payable to Cancer Research UK can be sent to John at Rose Cottage, Higher Eastwood, Todmorden, Lancashire, OL14 8RU.
It is a big reason he his taking on the challenge and he is using some lines from poet T. S. Eliot as his maxim: "Only those who risk going too far can possibly find out how they can go."
As inspiration, says John, they will do nicely.
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Wednesday 23 May 2012
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