For those who know our business, Adam are passionate about raising money for charity and we like to push ourselves to our physical limits to do it! Last year we raced a Team GB athlete from our Manchester to London office in aid of Royal Manchester Children’s’ hospital. But this year our team decided to take on an entirely different challenge, and admittedly, only 4 were brave enough to sign up.
Man vs Mountain is a marathon race up Snowdon taking place on Saturday 1st September. Starting at sea level and ascending 5055 ft to the summit runners will then have to head back down to face a series of Tough Mudder-style obstacles in the final few miles. All in, it’s a 22 mile run and takes on average 5 hours 30 minutes to complete.
We caught up with Sam to find out how he’s feeling now the main event is looming.
So tell us Sam, how did the idea come about?
Great question, I think the idea was conceived prior to me joining the team at Adam. Nathan and Peter had been discussing the idea anyway and upon hearing that I am a fan of gruelling long-distance events they signed me up too. What can I say, I’m a fan of putting myself through that kind of pain! That left us needing a 4th person to make up numbers. This is where Léon comes in; we knew Léon would be up for joining so we signed him up and mis-sold it as just a run. He’s yet to find out what it REALLY is!
This is a tough ask of anyone! What’s motivated you to sign up in the first place?
Without a doubt the key motivator for us all is to complete the race as a means to raise money for a charity that resonates with all of us. Manchester Beats Cancer is a cause close to all of our hearts at Adam and we’re honoured to be able to do our bit to help them in the fight against such a horrific disease.
An added bonus though is what the build up is doing for office morale. I’m sure you can imagine, with 4 very competitive people involved (2 lads and 2 ‘dads’) there is plenty of banter and bragging rights are the ultimate prize! No one wants to be deemed losers and both teams are training hard at the moment. Nathan and I did a run up Kinder Scout after work on Friday as a bit of familiarisation training as we’ve not done anything like this before.
There are so many great causes out there and Adam has a long history of fundraising for RMCH. Why Manchester Beats Cancer?
Manchester Beats Cancer is a charity that Léon has been appointed a senior member of the board, so he’s probably feeling the pressure more than anyone. We all know someone in one way or another who has been affected by cancer and as such we couldn’t think of a more apt charity to raise some money for, so it’s proving to be a big motivator for us all.
The Adam office has a strong background of raising money for good causes through various methods. Most recently to celebrate our 12th Birthday as a business we released a number of balloons in Manchester with a small note donating £10 to the chosen charity of the finder.
In previous years we’ve had the 5km per day for a month and a cycle from London to Manchester all in aid of charity.
No pressure then lads! You mentioned everyone is training hard, what does that entail?
As mentioned both teams are physically hard at work and training regularly through their own secretive methods. Pete and Léon can always be found in the gym at the crack of dawn whilst myself and Nathan are missing gym sessions with regular runs through Manchester to enhance our training. Our training run in the Peak District last week which was a struggle if I’m honest! I think we are slowly realising the size of the challenge we are taking on.
Uh oh! Is it a case of the fittest man wins? Or do you think there will be something else at play?
The most demanding challenge is having to put up with the competitive nature of my colleagues. There is continual jibing from both sides and little digs with the intention to put doubt in your mind. Each training run time is met with a sharp inhale and the phrase “is that all”. We know that the challenge isn’t going to be easy and that the main struggles will come deep into the race.
And what struggles will there be?
I think our biggest challenge will battling the Welsh weather. All being well, the weather will be a slightly overcast and dry 15 degrees. However, having said that the Snowdonia weather usually has other ideas. Both warm weather and heavy rain will make the going tough for all.
The mental challenge will also be in ensuring that the other team doesn’t get the better of us.
Thanks for taking time out to speak to us Sam. Regardless of the outcome, everyone at Adam and all your sponsors are rooting for all four of you! There’s no doubt it’s going to be physically and mentally demanding but we’ve got no doubt that you’ll succeed.
To sponsor the Adam team on this epic race head to their Just Giving page.