A tough challenge for Mr Hawley and Mr Stainton...

At the beginning of the November Lockdown, Mr Stainton (Head of Performing Arts), and Mr Hawley (Head of Rugby), along with with two friends, set out to take on the distance of a full Ironman around Devon. The Ironman challenge is to complete a 3.9k swim, followed by a 180k cycle ride and finish with a 42.2k run. This was mainly to set ourselves a challenge to keep our mental health in check and have something to focus on together. From starting swimming in November where we could barely swim 2 lengths in a pool and dusting our bikes off, we started our training.

On 17^th July, we made our way down to Teignmouth beach where we started our swim at 5.30am. From struggling to complete two lengths of consistent front crawl back in November to finishing a 3.9k swim in under 1 hour 20 minutes is something we are hugely proud of. We stopped for a food and then started our cycle around 7.15am. The cycle was next and the heat started to ramp up, luckily Mr Gibbins (who was previously Head of Strength & Conditioning) did a fantastic job of being our support vehicle and kept us well fed and hydrated. It was about 100k in, after a massive hill up to Exmoor when the heat and the challenge really hit home. However, we pushed on and all finished the bike ride together in around 7 hours 20 minutes plus breaks. Now to the run: 30 degrees and just 42km (marathon) to the finish. 

We decided to go our own separate ways and we are so grateful for everyone that came out to support us and cycle along with us in the run, including Miss Flavell (Head of Biology) and Mr Harkness (Head of Art). We both agree, if we had to run by ourselves, there would have been a slim chance of us finishing. Despite the distance and overwhelming heat, we all finished late into the night and it is safe to say we might have underestimated the challenge!

Once again, we are so grateful for the support everyone gave us that day, and looking back, it will always be something we remember. The biggest thank you goes to Mr Gibbins who followed and supported us in his van from 5:15am until 11:50pm. 

In total between the 4 of us, we have raised over £2000 for Mind. Thank you to everyone for their donations and kind messages. They really did give that extra bit of motivation to get us around. If you would like to donate to this brilliant charity, you can find the details of our Just Giving page below.

Mr Hawley & Mr Stainton's Just Giving Page