Pictured are Stuart Buchan, team captain, and Rory Findlay in training for running the whole Bob Graham Round.
Peak challenge for students
A team from the Exeter University Officer Training Corps are getting set to tackle the Lake District’s toughest challenge – the Bob Graham Round.
Their mission is to complete the circuit of 42 peaks, all over 2,000 feet, within 24 hours – a distance of 72 miles. The total ascent is equivalent to climbing the Empire State Building 17 times.
Stuart Buchan (2nd year History and Middle Eastern Studies) and Rory Findlay (2nd year Geography) will be running the whole of the route on 30 April. They will be joined for parts by seven other students from the Officer Training Corps, which includes students from the Universities of Exeter and Plymouth and is based at Wyvern Barracks, home of 6th Batallion the Rifles.
The team will be carrying a baton which was once the handle of a stretcher used to carry wounded soldiers. The team are carrying out the feat of endurance to raise awareness of the risks facing our Armed Forces personnel. They aim to raise £2,500 for Talking2Minds, a charity which helps members of the Armed Forces and Emergency Services overcome Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Stuart Buchan, team captain, says: “This is a gruelling challenge, but we’re more than up for it. We’re driven by supporting our Armed Forces, raising awareness of the realities facing them and their families, and raising money to support their mental health.”
John Cummings, Commanding Officer of the Exeter University Officer Training Corps says: “This is another physically demanding event that our students have been training for this year. They will be required to display courage, determination, stamina and dig deep. They are focused and will be well supported by their peers. This is a team effort and in aid of an excellent cause. We wish them all every success.”
A website has been set up to allow people to track the team’s progress live on the round. Donations can be made online.
The team is:
Stuart Buchan, 2nd year History and Middle Eastern Studies, University of Exeter
Rory Findlay, 2nd year Geography, University of Exeter
Lewis Scrafton, 1st year History, University of Exeter
Alec White, 2nd year Mechanical Engineering, Plymouth University
Josh McColl, Archaeology, University of Exeter
Rory Findlay, 2nd year Geography, University of Exeter
Andrew Jenkinson, 2nd year Geography, University of Exeter
Jamie Neasham, 2nd year Design, Plymouth University
Eddie Wilks, 2nd year History and Middle Eastern Studies, University of Exeter
Date: 15 April 2010
