Mountain rescue duo attempt ‘Britain’s most brutal’ race
Two members of Oban Mountain Rescue Team have taken on an extreme ultramarathon billed as ‘Britain’s most brutal’ to raise money for lifesaving equipment.
The Montane Winter Spine challenges are regarded as some of the toughest endurance races in the world and this week Chris Davies and Joe Farnell have been put through their paces.
The pair have been running in the MRT Challenge races, which are exclusively for mountain rescue personnel.
Between them they planned to run the 268 miles of the demanding Pennine Way, with Chris taking on the MRT South Challenge from Edale in the Peak District to Hawes in North Yorkshire and Joe attempting the MRT North Challenge from Hawes to Kirk Yetholm in the Scottish Borders.
Unfortunately, Chris had to withdraw from the race early due to injury, but at the time of printing Joe is still battling the tough terrain and harsh weather conditions on his 160-mile run.
Chris embarked on his gruelling 108-mile challenge on the morning of Saturday January 11 in minus nine degree temperatures and was waved off by his wife Anna and daughter Effie.
Going into the night, he was leading the MRT pack, but after sustaining a hip injury early on in the race, which was made worse by wading through thigh-deep snow on Stanbury Moor, he made the difficult decision to pull out of the race the next morning.
Despite the initial disappointment, he said: “It was a great adventure. I really enjoyed my time out there and I am so pleased with the amount of money we have managed to raise so far for the Mountain Rescue Team.”
The pair aim to raise £3,000 to buy a new wheel for the Oban Mountain Rescue Team stretcher, which will make rescuing casualties from remote locations easier.
During the run, Chris faced a challenging mix of icy conditions and sharp ascents, all while carrying a heavy bag of kit.
He said: “They intentionally do the race in January when the weather conditions are worse and some of the volunteers were saying this year was the worst conditions they have seen.
“One of the challenges is getting the balance between not getting too cold and not getting too sweaty from wearing too many layers.”
The race is a non-stop challenge, with runners left to decide whether they want to rest at checkpoints or keep going, and Chris was confident he could have run the whole way without sleeping.
He joked: “I have an 18-month-old daughter and Joe has a one-year-old, so we both have sleep deprivation training.”
Joe started the MRT North Challenge on Monday January 13 and he aims to complete the race in around 70 hours, which would see him reach the finish line on Thursday, January 16.
Having won the MRT South challenge once before, the Mountain Rescue Team has high hopes for his chances. “He’s been doing well and is up near the front of the race,” said Chris.
Oban Mountain Rescue Team is made up of 40 volunteer members. Three out of five rescues are paid for by public donation, one in five by the Scottish Government, and one in five is covered by volunteer team members.
Donations can be made to the fundraiser here.
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