SUPPORTER STORY: ADAM PICKERING
No obstacles to success Adam Pickering explains how a friend inspired him to take on six big challenges to raise funds for Combat Stress
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dam Pickering enjoys being fit and trains three times a week. Whilst he loves spending his free time with his partner and young family, he is planning to push himself to the limit by training and competing in six endurance challenges to raise money for Combat Stress. He has chosen these events as they not only require him to be at his fittest but will also stretch him mentally and emotionally. The events themselves attract a lot of participants so he can also make more people aware of the work of Combat Stress. He has always been sporty, enjoying mountain biking and playing rugby but took up obstacle course racing (OCR) four years ago when he joined his local bootcamp class, Elements Outdoor Military Fitness. Many OCR courses are based on military training and include rope climbs, cargo nets and walls, as well as mental challenges.
TOUGH TEST “I have chosen what I feel are the hardest challenges to test myself as I want to raise awareness of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) as well as raising money for Combat Stress,” he said. “I am a plumbing and heating engineer but I have a lot of friends who are serving or have served in the military. It wasn’t until I went to visit a good friend in hospital that I saw
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how many young people have been affected by PTSD. While you can see physical injuries like the loss of a limb, you cannot see mental health issues. “When my friend was diagnosed with PTSD he kept it under wraps at first. I have seen him at his best and his worst but also how Combat Stress has helped him and other people with PTSD.
“You can see physical injuries but you cannot see mental health issues” “I have competed in several endurance challenges in the past but this is the first time I’m doing them for charity. I don’t want to set a fundraising target, but I want to raise enough money so as many people as possible can get help. “The six events I have chosen will test my fitness but also my mental strength. The Fan Dance will see me scale the highest mountain in the Brecon Beacons, Pen y Fan. It’s the route used by the SAS as part of their selection process so I know I will be pushing myself to my limits – especially as I live in Basingstoke so there aren’t many mountain ranges nearby to practise on!
“I have run a couple of half marathons but not a full one so the Brighton Marathon in April will be a challenge. The Rat Race, at Burghley in May, is a 20-mile obstacle course. I have done this before so know what to expect. Working in a team with four friends, we will then be taking part in Endure 24, which will see us running as many five-mile laps as we can in a relay over 24 hours.
THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE “The biggest and hardest event will be Judgement Day: The Unknown. It lasts 36 hours and you don’t know what the activities will be, which makes it a really intense experience. Last year included navigating back to base from an unknown location, exercises in the sea at all hours, tabbing with full Bergen and kit runs across beaches and dunes. You literally have no clue what to expect. “I will finish my year of challenges with the Basingstoke Half Marathon. “I believe you only live once so you just have to go for it. I will do everything I can to raise awareness of PTSD and much-needed funds for Combat Stress.”
SUPPORT ADAM To sponsor Adam visit: justgiving.com/fundraising/ adampickering-combatstress
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