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Staying Strong at the Snowdon24 to Raise over £9k for Macmillan Cancer Support
2022 saw our very first Snowdon24 event, challenging participants to make as many ascents and descents of Yr Wyddfa, as Snowdon is known in Welsh, as they can in 24 hours.
Many runners took part in support of their chosen charities, and amongst them were Will Foden and Brad Foster, who made up Team Stay Strong.
The Snowdon24 is an event with personal challenges for all, with awards for three (Snowdon Triple), 5 (Mont Blanc Award), 7 (Killimanjaro Award) and 10 ascents (the Everest Challenge). Brad & Will's sporting background meant that they had their sights set on the 10 ascents, no mean feat at all!
The reason for their race was more than just the experience. In March 2022 Will lost his Father to lung cancer; the Snowdon24 was their way to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support. Read on to find out how they got on, and the success of their fundraising.
This is what Will Had to say about the event...
Brad being a world championship-qualifying Ironman set the challenge for us to compete in a race that would challenge anyone. As many will know me I’m an ex-rugby player and now compete in BJJ so doing an ultra marathon was very much out of my wheelhouse.
We decided to push the limit, as I was very passionate about making as much money as I could for Macmillan Cancer Support, which in the end is just shy of £9500.
It’s very hard to describe how amazing Snowdon truly is. We were lucky enough to have one of the hottest weekends of the year on our side too; the views and the morale were incredible.
If you are looking for a challenge, as a team or as an individual and want to see how far your mind and body can go, this is a must-do race to add to the bucket list.
The race is a true test of mental strength. People will mainly associate trail running as a physical feat, but to be able to continually push over the 24-hour period, is very much a brain game of being able to endure, persevere and most of all go past the preconceived limit that most would have placed on you.
Me and Brad officially got 9 reps with 19 mins to go. But for Macmillan I had pledged that we would do 5 each, so as I came down for my 8th rep, I had some food quickly and proceeded to go back to back with Brad for us to complete the 9th and I completed the team's 10th rep of the mountain with him.
As a team, it was super important to be competitive, not against others but mainly against ourselves. The personal battles to get up the mountain as fast as we can to the navigation of getting back to my teammate made the race such an epic experience.
Snowdon itself is one of the wonders of the UK, the views and atmosphere are like nothing I have ever competed or trained near before.
If you are looking for a challenge, as a team or as an individual and want to see how far your mind and body can go this is a must-do race to add to the bucket list.
You can follow Will Foden via his Instagram Feed
Photos & video by Sam Lindley