Peak Performance for Good Causes

15 Aug Peak Performance for Good Causes

At 3 peaks, 24 miles and 5200ft ascent, The Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge is a must for challenge seekers and fund raisers alike but requires weeks of preparation and training to ensure a successful attempt.

CBA Events were approached by one company looking to combine this inspiring route with fund raising for several local charities and using it as a way to network and engage with other departments, suppliers and customers.

This particular client had attempted to complete the same Three Peaks challenge the year before but due to lack of professional support and the elements, they were forced to cancel half way through the route. A blow to individuals, the company and the charities they were walking for.

This year they had decided that to achieve what they set out to do in the best way possible, they would need expert help and support throughout the process. This is where CBA Events came in.

We were asked to provide a comprehensive event programme for both pre-event and on the day, taking care of every last detail so the participants could focus on the real task at hand – completing the route.

Jason, CBA Events’ Operations Manager, was tasked with this event, taking it from the design and planning stages all the way through to attending the challenge himself to make sure everything was implemented to the highest of standards.

His first task lay in compiling and distributing everything leading up to the event, designing and delivering the participant information, training schedules, event management plan, emergency plan and booking venues for lunch and water stops on route.

On the day, CBA Events provided qualified and experienced mountain leaders as well as an event paramedic and food and water stations – making sure there was slow releasing energy goodies to sustain the participants throughout the 12 hours.

We also provided stretch tents at lunch time for everyone to get out of the blistering hot sun and enjoy their well-deserved lunch which included a BBQ and wood-fire pizza, which was also prepared and cooked by our team.

We assembled the team packs, making sure they included the essential maps, compasses, route cards and emergency procedures and also made sure we were at all the remote check-ins along the route.

Lastly, but arguably most importantly, we provided a mobile bar on the finishing line to welcome every successful walker with a celebratory cold beer or prosecco.

Of course, the day was not without its challenges.

Temperatures hit a high of 26 degrees, which meant we had to think seriously about the walker’s health. We ensured extra water stations were set up, sun location was handed out and stretch tents were erected at several points of the route, so everyone could sit in the shade when they could.

The ability of the walkers did vary in comparison and some were more adversely affected by the heat than others. Noticing this early on in the day, we dynamically changed the setup from all walking in guided teams to walking in smaller groups with increased check-ins and stewards on the course.

But of course, the positives far outweighed anything else – all participants crossed the finishing line with 25% completing it with 2 ½ hours to spare of the 12-hour target time.

Despite the tricky conditions everyone finished with a smile on their face, good attitudes and were already talking about braving next year’s challenge.

But most importantly money was raised for a wide variety of charities close to each regional department’s heart.

Jason finished “This event has brought an amazing sense of achievement and satisfaction, not only for the participants but for CBA Events. Having not completed it last year due to the lack of help, we were more than happy to step up to the plate and see everyone over the line.”