A VICAR and an ordinand in Truro diocese have completed the equivalent — in distance — of running up Mount Everest from sea level to its summit after finishing four uphill marathons in four days to raise money for a church roof.
The Vicar of St Ia the Virgin, St Ives, and St John’s in the Fields, Halsetown, the Revd Dr Nick Widdows, and the parish’s ordinand Rob Argall completed the challenge at the end of May and have raised £40,000 out of a £400,000 target so far for the roof of St John’s.
Mr Argall discovered that the elevation between the two St Ives churches was 89 metres, so that running it 100 times could be compared to running up Mount Everest from sea level to its peak: about 8849 metres.
The pair, who had been training for the challenge since January, ran up the hill, cycled back down, and repeated the process over four days.
Speaking to BBC Radio Cornwall after completing the challenge, Dr Widdows said that he was “deeply fatigued”, and the second day of running was “pretty hard”, as it “still felt a long way to go”.
“It was boring running up that hill,” he said. “We know the Stennack really well now. We can point out where the dead seagull is and where the honeysuckle is — which is better — and every little thing you want to know about it.”
The two men undertook the challenge during the heatwave at the end of May. Dr Widdows said that he had never seen St Ives so busy, and he was “dodging cars and people” as he ran.
Mr Argall said he felt “a lot better than I thought I would. It’s been such an event to be a part of. When you’re in it, you’re visualising the moment of finishing, but you’re also trying to just stay in the moment and keep going.”
It took the pair 12 to 13 minutes each time to run up the hill, and they walked during the steepest point. “The hardest bit was to not get to the top and sit and think about everything,” Mr Argall said.
Dr Widdows and Mr Argall thanked the parish’s congregation and community for their support, and said they had received some “incredibly generous donations”.
After completing the challenge, the men said, they had been most looking forward to a cold beer.
To donate, visit stiveschurch.org.uk/donate and use the reference “Everest”