Manx firefighter takes on Parish Walk in full kit challenge
A Douglas firefighter is attempting an epic walking challenge on the Isle of Man, in his full emergency kit.Nick Hays is taking on the 85 mile (136km) Parish Walk to raise money for the Fire Fighters Charity and the Great North Air Ambulance Service.The full uniform, breathing apparatus, and helmet, added about 15kg (33 lbs) of weight to the challenge, which gave participants 24 hours to complete the course.It would be the 37-year-old's first attempt at the event and he said: "I've definitely gone in at the deep end with this."
While many do complete the walk that visits all 17 island parishes, the majority of those taking part set a target to reach the halfway point of Peel.Mr Hays said: "I'm looking to ideally travel between hopefully Peel and maybe Ballaugh at the furthest, which will be about 30 to 40 miles." About 1,100 walkers are expected to take to Manx roads as part of the annual challenge.
'Mental resilience'
It follows a similar challenge last year, when two of his colleagues took on the walk wearing firefighting helmets. But this year they wanted to "elevate it" and Mr Hays said he "voted myself in to do it" for the two charities.While it would be a big physical challenge, he said it would also test him mentally. He said: "Mental resilience is something that's quite big in the firefighting profession, just being able to kind of dig into what reserves you might have and just carry on with what's in front of you."Hopefully this proves that to the nth degree," he added.
To train Mr Hays said as well as going for walks of about 15 miles at a time wearing weight belts, he had also been walking on an inclined treadmill with sand in his cylinder for added weight.Starting off at the National Sports Centre at 08:00 BST, competitors will cross the finish line in the gruelling challenge on Douglas Promenade on Saturday.
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