To Hell And Back - A Cornish Surfers journey for charity
The Details
Olaus McLeod, a surfer from Hayle, Cornwall, is training for a major feat of endurance, paddling a large surfboard from Cornwall to the Isles of Scilly, running a marathon and then paddling his board back to Cornwall!
More specifically, on 21st April 2007 (now 19th due to support boat availability), Olaus, 35, will paddle from Sennen, Cornwall, to the Hell Bay hotel, Bryher, Isles of Scilly. The next day, he will run the 2007 Tresco Marathon and on the third day he will paddle back from the Hell Bay hotel to Sennen – hence the name “To Hell And Back”!
“I only started Paddle Surfing in December”, says Olaus, “but I immediately started thinking about where I could attempt a long-distance paddle – a personal challenge. I had read that Laird Hamilton, probably the world’s greatest surfer, had paddled across the English Channel, last Summer, so I wanted to find myself another, comparably major voyage that I could undertake – and Cornwall to the Isles of Scilly was the obvious choice. And why not paddle back again, while I’m at it?!”
Olaus believes that there is little point in committing the time to train for such a challenge unless it will benefit a worthy cause, so he hopes to raise “as much money as possible” for two charities. “Due to the water-borne element of my trip, the first charity was always going to be the Royal National Lifeboat Institution”, says Olaus. “I only hope I won’t be calling on their services – that would be somewhat ironic!” Olaus actually has a long-standing affinity for the RNLI, being the son of a Trinity House Lighthouse Service Coxswain and having spent a lifetime “playing in the sea around the coasts of Cornwall.”
Olaus’ second charity of choice is the Cystic Fibrosis Trust, the sole charity associated with the Tresco Marathon. The annual race was first organised after the daughter of one of Tresco’s islanders was diagnosed with the condition. Olaus was actually due to run in the 2005 Tresco Marathon, but failed to make the start line due to injury, and has since vowed to make amends for his previous absence!
And so the two aspects of Olaus’ challenge came together.
Does Olaus have any reservations about this undertaking? “With three months’ training to go, I am already paddling a quarter of the thirty-odd miles from Cornwall to the Isles of Scilly, so I’m not worried about the distance. I’ve also run another marathon before, so I know that, with the right training, I can do it – it’s just me and the road. My biggest concern, however, is the variables I can’t do anything about – wind and ocean currents – mainly the wind – which amounts to a throw of the dice on the day. A strong South-Westerly – the prevailing wind direction in my part of the world – could scupper my plans from the outset.”
Olaus says, however, that if he is unable to complete Day One of the challenge, he will run the marathon anyway, hopefully paddle back home with a nice strong tail wind and paddle back to the Scillies again when the wind becomes more favourable, to honour his charity commitment!
“I hope that, whatever the outcome of my challenge, people all over the South West will support me, and give generously, both to the Cystic Fibrosis Trust and to the RNLI”, Olaus adds. “Although I intend giving this challenge my all, at the end of the day it’s not about whether or not I succeed, but about two extremely worthy causes.”
To sponsor Olaus, please use the justgiving links on the front page of www.to-hell-and-back.co.uk. You can pay by credit or debit card and the money will go directly to the Cystic Fibrosis Trust and the RNLI. Where supporters are UK taxpayers, the charities will automatically receive 28% extra in Gift Aid, making online payment the most efficient way of sponsoring Olaus.
If, however, you would rather sponsor the event by another means – or indeed if you would like to discuss any aspect of the To Hell And Back Challenge with Olaus, please feel free to e-mail him at olaus@to-hell-and-back.co.uk.