In March, we shared the exciting news that two Adventure Queens had won fully-funded places on Tripr’s Rise & Shine Three Peaks Challenge. Now, with the challenge just around the corner, we caught up with Catherine and Sean to find out how their training is going, what they’re doing to prepare, and what they’re most looking forward to.
For both of them, September’s challenge will be a big adventure, but they’re taking on the Three Peaks in very different ways.
Meet Catherine
Catherine is a 55-year-old ultra runner and hiker who lives near Cambridge. She loves campervan trips to wild places, exploring trails and coastlines with her partner and dogs.
The Three Peaks Challenge has been on her wish list for a while, so winning a place was a dream come true, particularly the chance to take on the challenge alongside other like-minded women with Tripr’s support.
And Catherine certainly isn’t new to endurance adventures. She’s completed trail running events of 50km and 100km, as well as multi-day self-supported hikes, but she says this will be her toughest hiking adventure yet.
She’s been training hard for running events earlier this year, but switched to Tripr’s dedicated Three Peaks training programme five weeks ago. That currently involves three hikes a week, covering around 5–9 miles, alongside leg-strengthening work in the gym. Those miles will increase as the challenge gets closer.
Being based in the flatlands around Cambridge means she has to get creative when it comes to preparing for those big mountain ascents. Her hill training is currently taking place on the stair stepper and inclined treadmill – although she recently got some proper hills in while hiking around the Hope Valley in Derbyshire.
That trip also gave her the chance to break in a new pair of hiking boots. And she’s already thinking about the extra weight she’ll be carrying on the challenge, training with her pack stuffed with bags of rice and pasta!
Fuel is another area where Catherine is well prepared. After years of ultra running, she’s trained her gut to tolerate plenty of carbohydrates during long events. Her usual favourites include Tailwind endurance drinks, Voom bars, dates, peanut butter and banana bagels, and homemade flapjacks. Tripr’s nutrition webinar has also given her plenty more to think about as she prepares for the challenge.
There’s one particularly special item she’ll be taking with her, too: a little St Christopher medal that belonged to her dad, who died shortly before she found out she’d won her place.
As for what she’s most looking forward to? A friend who has completed the challenge told her that watching the sunrise on the way down Yr Wyddfa was magical. We can see why that’s something to look forward to!
You can follow Catherine’s adventures on Instagram at @kearns_catherine.
Meet Sean
Sean is based in London and has become an avid hiker and camper over the last few years, inspired in part by the brilliant hiking groups and communities she’s discovered along the way.
For Sean, winning a place was a chance to take on something that would be a huge personal achievement, and one that would definitely push her outside her comfort zone.
She’s taking on the Three Peaks over three days, rather than the 24-hour challenge, but it will still be her biggest endurance event to date.
Her preparation has been building steadily, with at least one long walk at the weekend and running during the week. She also recently took part in a 10km sponsored walk in the Surrey Hills with her family, raising money for Maggie’s cancer charity.
Having hiked Ben Nevis a couple of years ago, Sean knows that mountain weather can be unpredictable. She remembers heading up when it was 25°C at the bottom, only to find it absolutely freezing at the top! So this time, she’s making sure she’s prepared with plenty of layers, including some better gloves!
The online sessions provided by Tripr have also been helping her get her preparation right, particularly when it comes to fuelling. She’s planning to take plenty of high-protein snacks and is making sure stretching becomes part of her routine between walks.
With the challenge getting closer, the excitement is definitely starting to build!
Fancy joining them?
Catherine and Sean might have won their places through Adventure Queens, but you can still join them on the adventure!
Tripr’s Rise & Shine event brings women together to take on the UK’s three highest mountains, with options to complete the challenge over 24 hours or three days. Tripr are also now offering a One Peak, One Day option if taking on all three mountains feels like a step too far.
Find out more and book your place here.
If you do join, make sure you use the code QUEENS26 when booking. Tripr will make a donation to Adventure Queens for every booking made using our code, helping us continue to create more opportunities for women to get outdoors.
A huge thank you to Tripr for supporting Adventure Queens, for donating to us through this partnership, and for giving Catherine and Sean the chance to take on such an incredible challenge.
We’ll be cheering them on all the way — and we can’t wait to hear how it goes!