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The MS Challenge
What is the MS Challenge? My wife and I recently took part in the MS Challenge. This is an annual event to raise money for MS therapy centres around the UK. These centres mainly provide Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy which is thought to be helpful in rasing the energy levels of people with MS. They also provide physiotherapy and other alternative therapies. The users of the centres make donations towards the treatment and this extra this extra fund raising makes it more affordable. Where did it take place? The event takes place in Capel Curig, on the edge of the Snowdonia National Park in Wales. A team consists of a person in a wheelchair and up to 12 carriers. You attach a rectangular metal frame to the wheelchair with string or whatever you can find and then, in whatever way you can, you transport it around the course. The Course The course is about 6 miles of dense, hilly woodland with several streams running through it. This makes the ground very boggy and the course is laid out to find all the worst parts of it. If you step into a patch of mud, there may be a rock 1 inch under it, causing your feet to slide from under you. Alternatively, you may sink up to your ankles, your knees or half way up your thighs. What happened? Our team had never done the event together before but we managed to work like a well oiled machine. The aim was to have 4 people carrying at any one time though this is not always possible. Where the trees are dense, you need to switch to one at the front and one at the back. Where the mud is ankle deep, you can still move through it. When it was above our knees, we had to make two lines and pass the chair along. Then, the people at the back would extract themselves and run around to the front again. One of the best parts of the course was a very muddy stream where four people had to stand chest deep in the water and pass the chair over there heads. I was one of the lucky ones who got to jump the stream and take over on the other side. Being nearly twice as old as the rest of the team, I thought I was due a break. The run normally ends by taking the passenger across a river. For the second year in a row, the conditions were too dangerous for this, so the carriers went over a bridge, up the riverbank and then through the river before before returning to take the passenger over the bridge. Then after being showered with fake champagne and getting the team photo, it was back into the river to get rid of some of the mud. At 53, I was surprised at how fit I was and how easily I got around the course. Then for the next week, I was surprised at how many parts of your body can hurt at the same time. But it was fantastic fun and I can't wait for next year. More about the event Over three days, about 45 teams from all over the UK took part. Three of them were from the Nottingham centre that my wife attends. My wife was carried by a team of current and former physiotherapists at the centre, some of their friends and me. Another guy was carried by a team from the company he works for. They were all given the day off to do the event on Friday. Another girl had a team of sailors from HMS Nottingham, a Royal Navy destroyer. The Future It could be that 2009 will be the last time that there is one national event. It looks likely that in future there will be 2 or 3 regional events. That would be a pity as Capel Curig is a perfect venue. It has the ideal terrain for the course, space for camping, lots of good, experienced volenteers to organise and man it, and great catering. And a god pub nearby. If next year is the last, it should be something special. Also check out my article Multiple Sclerosis and Diet .
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Contributor's Note
I took these pictures at last years event when I wasn't taking part.
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Waiting at the starting line
The first obstacle
Made it
The river crossing
The sprint finish
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This intel was contributed by RichR
RichR
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May, 2012
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