SCOTLAND'S TOUGHEST ONE DAY EVENT LIVES UP TO ITS REPUTATION
225 take on the enduring challenge of the Artemis Great Kindrochit Quadrathlon
- Mark Beaumont completes latest adventure since cycling solo around the world
- Over £150,000 raised for MercyCorps projects in Nepal
- Event record time smashed by one hour as hundreds celebrate unique achievement
Loch Tay in Perthshire (Scotland) once again played host to the Artemis Great Kindrochit Quadrathlon on Saturday July 12th as the unique race lived up to its fearsome reputation as ‘Scotland's toughest one day event'. 225 people from all across the UK, and from all over the world, descended upon the Highlands to take up the annual challenge and raise money for MercyCorps in Nepal. The weather delivered everything from sunshine on the water's edge to sheeting rain, fog and howling gales at the tops of the highest Munros as the competitors raced against the clock, and each other, on Loch and land.
The teams were made up of a diverse mix of men and women, hailing from as far and wide as the City of London to the countryside of Nepal. Many simply came to challenge themselves, complete the course and enjoy the spectacular festivities and special atmosphere throughout the day, whilst others were seeking to push themselves to the finish line in order to claim glory. The winning pair completed the gruelling 57 mile journey across four disciplines in an astounding eight hours and 42 minutes, smashing the previous event record of nine hours and 40 minutes.
Speaking after ceremonially cutting a melon with a sword to mark the end of the day, Andrew Stokes-Rees, one of the winning pair from Edinburgh commented, "We didn't have a particular target time when we set out but we almost never stopped and we focused on making every second count. The hill climb is our favourite part and we both revel in the challenging weather conditions of this course. We were well positioned after the swim, took the lead on the run and pushed for home on the kayak and cycle legs. Sometimes you have to take some risks to create an advantage. We loved it. It is supposed to be hard, miserable and taxing but for us it was fun, memorable and it is why we are such good friends."
The event also saw Scotland's Mark Beaumont temporarily leave the comfort zone of the bicycle that took him around the world alone in a new world record of 194 days and take to the Scottish Highlands to raise money for MercyCorps, which with the continued support of Artemis Investment Management is expected to benefit from more than £150,000 raised from this event. Mark and his partner finished after an impressive 10 hours, 20 minutes. Mark concluded, "It was brilliant; a great event and much tougher than I expected! The swim was not my idea of fun, but my partner and I are strong in different areas and supported each other throughout."
The race also featured Nino Baglione, who was simply using the event as a key training event for his own challenge, the Artemis Arch to Arc, arguably the toughest solo Triathlon in the world. Nino, who works full time in London with Artemis, has been fitting in up to 30 hours of training a week as he prepares to run, swim and cycle from London to Paris in September. Not content to use the Artemis Great Kindrochit Quadrathlon as basic training on its own, Nino decided to cycle 70 miles and run 35 miles on the Friday, before then undertaking a two mile swim in Loch Tay late at night as a last minute warm-up before the start of the Quadrathlon at 6 AM on Saturday. Despite the previous days exerts, Nino finished just outside the previous course record.
The largest number of competitors in the nine year history of the event took up the challenge with gusto, completing the swim-climb-kayak-cycle course before the evening festivities and fireworks brought the day to a close in spectacular fashion with a party that lasted into the early hours of the morning.
For detailed information about the event visit www.artemisgreatkindrochit.com or about Mercy Corps visit www.mercycorps.org.uk
Contact:
Anna Clarkson, Senior Communications Officer, Mercy Corps European Headquarters
Tel: 0131 550 7533
Mob: 07917 532 954
E-mail: [email protected]
Tim Kelly, Artemis Media Relations
Mob: 07773 325 533
E-mail: [email protected]
Mercy Corps works amid disasters, conflicts, chronic poverty and instability to unleash the potential of people who can win against nearly impossible odds. Since 1979, Mercy Corps has provided over £500 million in assistance. Supported by headquarter offices in Europe, North America and Asia, the agency's unified global programmes employ nearly 3,400 staff worldwide and reach more than 14.4 million people in over 35 countries. Over the last five years more than 90% of the agency's resources have been allocated directly to programmes that help people in need. For more information, visit www.mercycorps.org.uk.
Artemis one of the UK's leading investment companies, is an owner-managed investment provider known for achieving superior returns through funds which regularly beat their benchmark and peers. Since the first funds were launched in 1998 Artemis has established a reputation for strong investment performance in up as well as down markets. For more information on the company and the funds we offer, visit www.artemisonline.co.uk or contact our Client Services department on 0800 092 2051.
Events and Activities The Artemis Great Kindrochit Quadrathlon is organised by Events & Activities Ltd, an organisation committed to raising funds for charity by running challenging outdoor endurance events for people like you. It aims to encourage those who wish to enhance their experience of wild places through challenging team events, whilst raising money for worthwhile charities in the process.
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