Gym Knickers and Rain

So, Kirkby Malham was a resounding success all round, and we are all buoyed up and ready to head off to Edale primary school next.   It's not just for the younger generations of pupils though, we are in talks with getting some secondary schools involved too.

I distinctly remember being a teenager at a school near Casterton and being told to run up and down the Cumbrian fells in torrential rain in horrific P.E knickers (at this point i'll just point out that it's Ellie writing not Matt or Andy,  i don't think they have ever worn gym knickers...!), I'm sure it was character building or something similar.
Either way I don't remember being all too enthused about the idea.  It would be fantastic to get teenagers hooked on running, and turning it from something you dread to something you look forward to and you never know where it will take you.
One of the most inspiring points of Andy's presentation yesterday at Kirkby Malham was when he brought out his 'Beginners' swimming certificate, which he was awarded when he was 8, for swimming  10 yards.  Everybody starts somewhere and Andy went on to swim the English Channel, at this point I heard jaws hit the floor.

Dreams can happen if you work hard enough at them and want them badly enough, and I think it's so important to make young people believe that.  We should be out there encouraging them  to think big and exciting.  And here the lecture endeth ;)

The PROJECT is LIVE!

So finally the day has come, we have had the green light from Kickstarter and it's now time to turn our ramblings into a reality!

Please have a look at our proposal and we hope you like the film we have put together.   Our aim is to submit this documentary to all Adventure Film festivals in 2015.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW OUR KICKSTARTER PAGE!!

I thought it would be useful for anyone tuning in late in the day to refresh you guys on what exactly we are going to be getting up to, and the purpose of Cracking The Spine.

Back in June, ultra runner, coach and author Andy Mouncey approached us here at Summit Fever Outdoor Sports Media with an immense idea, this idea is Cracking The Spine Film.  

Andy wants to return to finish what he started, with a little bit of help from local schools and youth groups.  

Let me explain a little more...

In January 2013 he took part in The Spine Race, the most brutal winter non-stop 268 mile foot race the UK has to offer. After just over 100 miles Andy had to stop. In January 2014 Andy will be back, more prepared, fitter and ready to face a challenge of epic proportions.

Part of the project is to get kids moving too, as a father, Andy knows the importance of ensuring the people of tomorrow have the skills to make it a bright, shiny place. Schools and youth groups all the way along the UK’s Pennine Way will be running and walking the 268 miles as classes and teams over winter to raise money for Sports Relief and to show them that impossible is just a made up word grown-ups use when they think they can't.  

They will be keeping video diaries to document the ups and downs they encounter and to show how they overcome these challenges.  This footage will be put into the documentary.

Andy’s aim?  To inspire and motivate children through running, to show them the benefits of a life full of exercise, to teach them to think and act like athletes, to show them the importance of making and sticking to a pledge, and how all these skills can be applied to each aspect of their lives.

We, here at Summit Fever, are going to be making a film of Andy's progress, and medical stats, in the lead up to the race, and during the race, as well as the progress that is made in the schools and how running is changing the lives of the children who are taking part.  We need to get them all to the finish!

Cracking The Spine project is designed to engage YOU. Everyone's lives would be a little brighter, a little more fun if they took the courage to take that step so we're giving you the shoes and the push to get you out there and face the impossible. Funded via Kickstarter (our page is now live!) which is a crowd funding website you will be able to contribute to the creation of the film, in return there will be a whole host of things on offer! 

Everyone that watches this film will walk away feeling empowered to try the thing they never thought they could. It's time to show the world what running can do, so please, if you can, join Summit Fever and Andy Mouncey on a journey of a lifetime.

Ghostly goings on... A mini selection of ghost stories we have dug out

The Pennine Way and a few ghostly goings on!

After lots of talking about the route we have realised that for those who aren't maybe as familiar with the UK - You might be thinking - what on earth is The Pennine Way?!  

The Pennine Way as you can see below is a route that winds it way up the 'Spine' of England, taking in the bleakest moors and most beautiful if remote areas of the UK.   It starts at our local 'The Nags Head' pub in Edale (good pint and blazing fires) and heads North, up and over the Peak District national park, the Yorkshire Dales, the Northumberland National Park and finishes in the small Scottish Hamlet of Kirk Yetholm (in the pub - British obsession).

Pennine Way Route

We have done a bit of digging around and have come up with a few ghost stories and myths and legends, which surround sections of The Pennine Way... 

Not that you should still be on the Kinder Scout section of the The Spine Race route come Easter (unless you really have gone the wrong way!),  watch out for the water spirit of Mermaid's Pool, which can be seen far below you as you pass Kinder Downfall waterfall early on the route.  This little critter manifests itself on the Eve of Easter and either promises long life or drags you down into the watery depths.  Take your pick!

Kinder Downfall, geography.org.uk

When you cross Bleaklow in the Peak District, watch out for ghostly legionnaires.  In 1932 four climbers near Hope Cross saw an entire Roman legion go by (was this post pub or pre pub?! - referring to the climbers not the ghosts!).  Apparently it has such renown for ghostly goings on that it is speculated that an undiscovered Roman road once cut over Bleaklow linking Snake's Pass with Longdendale.  Legend has it that an entire Roman legion were attacked and buried in the bogs on Bleaklow by local tribes.  The area was certainly well used by Roman legions and a Roman fort stands at Castleshaw.

Bleaklow - geograph.org.uk

And if you fancy partaking in a well earned beverage at the highest pub in England, the renowned Tan Hill inn, double check who is propping up the bar.  Ghost sightings have led to a team of ghost investigators making a film at the pub.  Don't panic unduly though sounds like a harmless ghosty who likes a puff on his pipe, however if you are thinking of taking an hour's kip in the bunkhouse watch out for a ghost of a boy who pops up to say hello to weary travellers. 

Tan Hill Inn, picture by The Observer

Cauldron Snout the wonderfully named waterfall is said to haunted by a ghost called 'The Singing lady', and on cold moonlit nights she can be seen sitting on a rock near the falls, where she laments the loss of her loved one.

Cauldron Snout

Cross Fell is the highest point on the Pennine Way at 2930ft.  Back in the mists of time this was called Fiend's Fell and devil's were said to inhabit the fell.  The name 'Cross Fell' is said (depending on your source!) to originate from the 7th century and given it by Paulinus an early Christian missionary, or the more dramatic version is that it refers to the 'cross' or 'angry' fiends that lived there.

Cross Fell

And on that note...Good Night!

What Karmas around goes around #dotheimpossible

Picture the scene, you're running or walking along a single track path in an overgrown forest, bluebells flittering in a gentle breeze. Despite feeling like the only person in 100 miles you find when you reach a gate that there is someone else behind you, I'm sure you would all hold the gate open for them. Positive actions towards others, be it holding open a gate, chasing after someone with their dropped Buff or helping someone to do something they never thought they could.

That is what I want to drill down to - helping someone do achieve something that they never thought they could. You may be thinking, errr okay well what could that something be? There are a whole host of things that are now available to do - many of them to raise money for charity - which are classic things 'which people don't do'. Here's a list of a few:

• Skydive
• Bungee Jump
• Marathon
• Abseil

Some of you might look at these thinking, I do ten skydives before breakfast or run a marathon just as a training run. For some these are some of the most daunting things there are, for 'other people', something that they might not think they could or would achieve. Think how cool you feel when you do them, that rush you feel. Times that by a million and your getting close to what it feels like to help someone achieve one of those things. Even Andy had his first marathon, his first 10km - everyone starts somewhere.

The sun setting over Mam Tor in the Peak District

Cracking the Spine is the tidal wave, the rising sun that will help carry you beyond the edge of impossible - You will see Andy weathering the harsh winter elements (if the long term weather forecasts are to be believed!), managing his training with his family life and hearing from medical professionals of how his body copes with this challenge of challenges. You will see that to achieve your impossible there is only a series of steps, there may be few there may be many but by taking each one you can get there.

Perhaps you know someone who always says 'I could never run a marathon' - offer to take them out for a run, it doesn't have to be long, it doesn't have to be difficult - this could be the start of making it happen for them. There was a day when you found the strength to face your challenge, it's time to pass that on.

We want to know your story - tell us what your Cracking The Spine moment was, perhaps it was a person that inspired you, or maybe you heard of an event - like The Spine Race.

Facebook/Tweet it with #dotheimpossible!