We recently spoke to the adventurer Sean Conway – he of mighty beard and swimming around Britain fame – for the next episode of our podcast, and the cost of adventure came up. Namely, how much do you have to spend to do something new and different?
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The answer is, very little. The cost of a couple of tube fares and a very welcome taxi, in fact, can see you out the door and exploring places that you may never have even considered running to or from.
This line of thinking and some meticulous planning from section editor Rick Pearson led us to a weekend of running around London, attempting to run to the highest point in each of the 32 London boroughs.
The secondary aim was to do it in 24 hours, covering the distance and setting a benchmark time for the 150 miles, but the primary aim was to remind us all taking part (and hopefully those following it on Strava and social media) that you don’t need to venture to pastures new to find a challenge.
Our team was an eclectic mix of ultrarunners, comedians, authors and magicians – all united by a love of running in the capital, and a willingness to get involved in daft, do-it-yourself adventure. The race began at the stroke of midnight on Friday 23 March, with the hope of completing it by midnight on Saturday 24 March.
Oxygen is not required to scale the summits of London. The highest peak, in Westerham Heights, Bromley, is 245m; the lowest, in Shoreditch, Tower Hamlets, is a mere 16m. But that’s not the point. This was about adventure – looking at the familiar in an unfamiliar way. And through a mix of good humour, hard running, (mostly) sound navigation and industrial amounts of caffeine, we did what no group of people had done before: we scaled the summits of London, finishing in a time of 22hrs 14mins. The baton (in this case, an RW mobile phone) was handed over at the apex of each London borough.
In the process, we’d run through fields, alongside A-roads, and climbed the Alps (the Beckton Alps, that is) – all without leaving the M25. Truly, some of the best adventures can happen right outside your front door.
It wasn't just a London ting, either. On the same day, Jonny Muir – a man who once ran to the highest points in each of the 12 inner London boroughs, and in doing so inspired this whole idea – was leading a team around the peaks of Edinburgh. Follow Jonny on Twitter for more details.
And what about you? We’d like these challenges to inspire others to explore their towns and cities in new ways. So what do you say, Cardiff, Birmingham, Manchester, Belfast? The mountains are calling...
The legs and the runners...
Bromley – Croydon (13.5km) Rick Pearson & Stephen Pinkster
Croydon – Sutton (8.5km) Chris Pearson & George Bull
Sutton – Kingston (14km) Tom Suddaby & Jonathan Cowie
Kingston – Merton (15.8km) Susie Chan & Cat Simpson
Merton – Wandsworth (2.5km) Tariq Knight & Georgina Pearson
Wandsworth – Richmond (6km) Kate Carter & Adharanand Finn
Richmond – Hounslow (10km) Tobias Mews & Vassos Alexander
Hounslow – Ealing (10km) Anna McNuff & Brother
Ealing – Brent (2.8km) John Carroll & Alison Hamlett
Brent – Hillingdon (8.8km) Dan Hallam & Damian Hall
Hillingdon – Harrow (6.6km) Anna McNuff & Brother
Harrow – Barnet (8.5k) Ben Hobson & Francesca Menato
Barnet – Enfield (6.5k) Georgina Pearson & Tariq Knight
Enfield – Waltham Forest (16k) Andy Dixon & Paul Tonkinson
Waltham Forest – Redbridge (12k): James Poole & David Smyth
Redbridge – Havering (4.5k): Ben Hobson & Francesca Menato
Havering – Barking (5.6k) Tobias Mews & Helen Couchman
Barking – Newham (12.5k) Dan Hallam & Damian Hall
Newham – Greenwich (15K) Tom Suddaby & Jonathan Cowie
Greenwich – Bexley (7.3K) James Poole & David Smyth
Bexley – Lambeth (14.5K) John Carroll & Alison Hamlett
Lambeth – Lewisham/Southwark (1.6K) Chris Pearson & George Bull
Lewisham/Southwark to Tower Hamlets (13.4k) Susie Chan & Cat Simpson
Tower Hamlets – Hackney (6.8k) Adharanand Finn & Kate Carter
Hackney – Islington (4K) Sam Murphy & Jeff Pyrah
Islington – Haringey (1K) Sam Murphy & Jeff Pyrah
Haringey – Camden (2.8K) Joe Mackay & Helen Couchman
Camden – Kensington & Chelsea (6.7K) Andrew Simms & Vassos Alexander
Kensington & Chelsea – Hammersmith & Fulham (0.2K) Brian Otten & John Pickup
Hammersmith & Fulham – City of Westminster (4.4K) Brian Otten & John Pickup
Photography by James Carnegie Photography.