Walkers in the Lake District are being offered the chance to take part in a charity event for MS Research - to climb ten mountains in ten hours.
The organisers of the annual 10in10 event - which is held in June, have now decided to encourage people to do the challenge on any day of the year, renaming it the 'Everyday 10in10'.
They're also launching a fell running challenge called the 'No Cure, Always Hope Ultra Run', which heads over 25 peaks and covers 39 miles and a combined ascent of 17,000 feet.
Every June, 400 people set off at the crack of dawn to climb ten mountains in ten hours on one of three specially designed routes in the Newlands, Buttermere or Borrowdale valleys near Keswick.
Part of the reason for opening up the challenge from once a year to any day of the year is to reduce the impact on the fells and also because Yvonne and Duncan Booth want to allow more people to take part.
They also say some people want to do it alone, without the marshals and when it’s a bit quieter.
Duncan, who was diagnosed with MS in 2010, explains: “At the annual 10in10, there are a lot of people with MS who take part. Some manage 10in10, some 5in5 and sometimes 1in1 - depending on how the disease is affecting them on the day. We’ve realised that people want to take on the challenge, but if their holiday in the Lake District doesn’t coincide with the event, they can’t. Or if their MS is causing problems they can’t. We wanted to give people the chance to train and then try the challenge when they are ready, not just once a year when we are.”
Yvonne explained why Duncan’s diagnosis spurred her on to create the walking challenge and why she is developed the new Everyday 10in10 and the No Cure, Always Hope Ultra Run: “We just want to find a cure for MS. The 10in10 gives Duncan and I a real focus for our families. We don’t know whether there’ll be a cure in Duncan’s lifetime, but it gives us hope and that’s what we live for everyday. It’s not about putting on the event, it’s about helping lots of people achieve independent goals. We can’t stop now, everybody wants to hear when the next challenge is. We are really proud of what everyone has achieved.”
To sign up, visit here.