Surreal Reality Check

Stuart Farish at Giberts3D has just sent me an animation of the model he is producing, which I hope to use for personal inspiration and to demonstrate the challenges of the expedition at various talks I have been asked to give. It includes a scaled man on Hall's Ledge, which dramatically shows just what I'm taking on. A still of the animation is shown below, the animation will follow in due course.

If you'd like to see the full animation before it's uploaded, click here.

Post Edinburgh, plus hills!

Well, it's been a couple of weeks since Edinburgh and I'm back running with the MdS in mind: weight, hills, distance, and more weight! Edinburgh was tough, a dull course, not much of which was in Edinburgh, 24 degrees C, and the infamous 'theft' of water made it much harder than London. I ended up 2 minutes slower in Edinburgh than London, so was happy. Thanks to everyone who came out to support me.

The MdS is very much a priority for me at the moment, however I have finished my costing of Rockall 2011, and at circa £30k including contingency and excluding any possible financial or equipment sponsorship, fund raising is going to be a challenge in itself. Unless a fairy godmother comes forward, I think it wise to leave this until the economy is looking healthier (hopefully in 2010?).

I always wondered how professional 'explorers' managed to fund and organise their endeavours, but I have been amazed how much support and how many volunteers have already come forward to help - and I haven't even started asking yet!

You've probably seen or read for yourselves, but I'd like to mention all that Phil Packer has achieved recently for Help for Heroes (and, I suspect, for himself) he puts me to shame!

So, for now it's on with more running, and hills, and weight...

Nick