Categories: Inner
Date: Aug 27, 2009
Title: Dr. Ryan To Climb Mt. Kilimanjaro
A new challenge awaits....
Dr. Ryan To Climb Mt. Kilimanjaro in October!
That’s right ironFolks – your very own Dr. Ryan is back in action – this time heading to Africa for an event a little different from triathlon…but one that I’m sure will require all the mental toughness of racing.
Eleven months ago I joined the Arthritis Society of Canada’s “Joints In Motion” team. They are a fundraising group that raises awareness about the many types of Arthritis that effect millions of people worldwide by participating in marathons and long distance treks.
This year they are heading to the top of Africa – the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro at 19,340 ft. – and I’m heading there with them! Over the past year I’ve fundraised over $10,000 on behalf of the Arthritis Society, and now our departure date is a mere 4 weeks away.
I’ve been training for the last 11 months as well. I’ve been on several other local treks around Vancouver, British Columbia, and I spent a week over 10,000ft. on the Colorado Trail where I made it to the summit of 3 different 14,000ft. peaks. Every week I climb our local Grouse Mountain on the Grouse Grind with a 25lbs. pack on. It’s a 3km trail that climbs a little over 300m (985ft.) from bottom to top. The average gradient is 28° but some parts are steeper than 40°!! Using the Method principles in my training, I’ve dropped my time from 58 minutes in May to 50:30 last week.
I leave for Africa September 25, 2009, and we begin the trek September 29. It will take 5 ½ days to reach the summit, and about 2 ½ days to get back down. Most of the time will be spent over 10,000ft. so altitude sickness, dehydration, and fatigue will be the main challenges to overcome.
I’m really looking forward to posting some pictures at ironguides from the roof of Africa!!!