Marketforce – Footprint

Three weeks on, the rain has stopped, clothes are dry and blisters are on the mend, and we can think back to the Brecon Beacons with a resounding sense of achievement. The Hike proved a true success for all involved; through fog and rain we walked, along craggy paths and up formidable slopes, and came out feeling more alive at the other end.

Congratulations are due to one and all, from the hikers who challenged themselves physically, to the ground staff and organisers who put in long hours to ensure everything went, for the most part, without a hitch.

When we planned the hike our main concern was overheating - how wrong we were! The day of the trip was the day the floods came and it soon became a battle to see who could even get to Wales. The majority of 'Forcers were on the coach and it took them a full ten hours from leaving MFC HQ to getting to Llangorse. On the journey they had to battle through flooded service stations, land slides and detours. The prize for the worst journey though goes to Juliet Knight, our director, who has stuck in the M5 for 19 hours!

After making it to Llangorse, we were welcomed by the advance party and some lovely ladies who had prepared a carbohydrate rich dinner ahead of the big walk the next day. Everyone was in high spirits, although the rain outside was ominous. We had our fingers crossed that it would clear up, as there was still a chance the hike wouldn’t go ahead.

The next day dawned and although it was still grey, the conditions were much better, so off we headed through the country lanes to reach the start point. The start of the walk seemed relatively easy, leading to high hopes of an easy stroll through the countryside.....

 Owing the weather the ground under foot was "springy" to say the least. The first climb wasn’t too steep but it was definitely off the beaten track, and we had to trudge through bog for most of the morning. The conditions were not helped by the rain, which by this time had started again! There were shoes left in the bog, and a few people took a tumble. When we reached the summit there was a huge feeling of achievement - we had done the first one! Now on to the next peak.

After being greeted at the first water station with well received refreshments and warm hugs from Groundforce, the teams undertook the next challenge. This was a short sharp shock in the form of an 810 metre 45° climb, and you could really feel the burn in the calf muscles. The mentality was get involved and get the team up there. Each of us encouraged each other and this made all the difference: It was a real team effort to make it to the top. As the staying goes "what goes up must come down" and the way down was equally steep. Cue lots of running down, falling over and even one team member making a make shift sledge out of a bin liner.

After getting back down to ground level and a welcome of more squash, jelly babies and biscuits, we faced the third and final stage. The teams merged and the second wind kicked in, galvanising us in the last push.

Back at base camp, the Groundforce team had prepared all the essentials - chilled beers, wine and tea. All the teams made it back to a loud welcome party complete with welcome back banners. There were a couple of superficial injuries but we were pleased to report that there were no broken bones, twisted ankles or snapped ligaments!

The reason for the walk was to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Marketforce, and we had to celebrate in style. There was no talk of going to bed early, instead a pub quiz and the obligatory disagreements ensued - somewhat undoing the team bonding of earlier in the day! By bedtime, which for some was 4am, we were all exhausted and ready for a good old sleep!!

 All of us agree that the weekend proved extremely successful, and as the final donations come in we can only hope for a similar achievement next year. We have only left to thank everyone who has donated to us over the past few months. We are very pleased to have dedicated the hike to Over The Wall, but without the tremendous generosity of each of our sponsors this would have come to nothing. We have raised £13,400 so far and the donations are still coming in: Well done everyone!