12 Lunatic Lads & 1 Wonder Woman

Those who have been following me on twitter will have realised that I took part in a spectacular event over last weekend. I just so happened to be in the pub the previous thursday night and the barmaid told me the lads were short of a man for Saturday's outing, namely 'The MS Challenge'. Whitchurch Rugby Club have entered a team for many years now of which I had been aware as some of my mates regularly take part and I have sponsored them in the past. They had told me it was tough and that they took no prisoners. It wasn't a race, I was told, but we had to come first.

Basically the event entails up to 12 people wheeling and carrying a passenger in a wheelchair up a hill, through a swampy forest and back down the hill. Our passenger was Alison, an MS sufferer, who amazingly has allowed these nutters to cart her not-that-gently up and down this course for a number of years now

After rigging the chair with a purpose-built frame to provide eight carrying handles we took our place at the start. All the guys who'd done this before had warned me about 'the hill'. The first mile of the course is a snaky forest track up the hill and it's relentless, switching back and to with no clear end. So with Alison carefully seated we set off like a bull at a gate.

After the first ten minutes I thought my lungs were going to burst - I had done no real training for this at all except for a 30min run in Zim and a bit of touch rugby the Sunday before - but the pace never let up and at the top of the hill we caught the team that had started 45 minutes before us. Alison had to be relieved that we had come off the gravel I'm sure as it must have rattled all her teeth loose but things were about to get even more difficult as we entered the forest. The last months rain had soaked into the spongy ground and turned the whole area into a swamp. Alison was lifted clear of the ground and we charged through the woods, over fallen trees and across mud-filled ditches where we nearly lost Fu-bar.

Still we ploughed on at a merciless pace up yet more grassy hills and through more boggy pits. In all the course was around 5-6 miles and the last mile was back down the gravel hill. Charging down the hill with Alison hanging on for dear life I was ecstatic to see the finish line. I had worked far harder than I thought was possible. The lads have such an amazing team spirit and push each other incredibly hard. We completed the whole thing in an hour and a half where other teams would take in excess of twice that time. We were shattered, filthy and thirsty so we jumped in the river for a wash down and a few beers (Ginger beer in my case - thanks Tommy). 

But the person who really deserved a drink was Alison who, throughout the whole ordeal, smiled and encouraged us all on despite being thrown all over the place, shaken to pieces and almost-but-not-quite dropped on a number of occasions. Alison uses the MS Support Centre in Chester regularly and knows that this is an important fund-raising event to help keep the centre running. After the dip in the river our pain and discomfort would fade away in a matter of a few days but that's not the case with those who have Multiple Sclerosis.