Three friends from Belfast are taking on the equivalent of almost 10 marathons in eight days to help raise funds to improve the mental health of young people across Northern Ireland.
Chris Ross, Roger Warnock and Alan Elwood, known as ‘The 3 Amigos’, aim to complete a 400km off-road route running over rough terrain and wilderness in the Scottish Highlands.
The trio began the ‘Cape Wrath Ultramarathon’ challenge on Sunday.
The boat to the start line, exploring the trails and arriving at camp in Glenfinnan. Day one was an absolute scorcher...
Posted by Cape Wrath Ultra on Monday 20 May 2024
Over eight days they will undertake the gruelling challenge, which includes a total climb of 10,000 metres - the equivalent of Mount Everest.
Starting in Fort William, the race links ancient footpaths and remote paths to its finish in the most north-westerly point in the British Isles - Cape Wrath.
Only one in three people manage to complete the epic course.
But the three friends are hoping they will break that statistic.
They are competing in a bid to raise over £20,000 in aid of Young Social Innovators (YSI), Ireland’s largest youth-led social innovation charity, and social enterprise Positive Steps Outdoors.
Writing on their JustGiving fundraising page, Mr Warnock, chief executive of YSI, said they had come together amid concerns about the “rising levels of mental health issues in our young people which is only getting worse”.
He said they will “put ourselves through our own physical and mental challenge” to take part in the Cape Wrath Ultramarathon.
Mr Ross, who is managing partner of McKees Law, said: “Northern Ireland has some of the highest levels of mental ill-health among children and young people in Europe.
“Alan (founder of Positive Steps Outdoors) and Roger both lead two fantastic local organisations that are working hard to support young people and collectively, we are aiming to help raise much-needed funds to help support these great initiatives.
“For eight days, we will be stretching our own mental and physical capabilities when we take part in The Cape Wrath Ultra, a 400km running adventure through the Scottish Highlands.
“Only one in three people manage to complete this challenge, but we have been training hard and are well prepared and confident that we’ll complete it together, in aid of young people across NI.”
To donate to ‘The 3 Amigos’ fundraising efforts, please visit www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/The3Amigos
