An Eden police officer has become the first person to continuously traverse all four national 24-hour mountain challenges.
At 1.48am today, Ross Jenkin touched the door of the Moot Hall in Keswick having become the first person to make a continuous traverse of all four national 24-hour mountain challenges.
Starting with the Paddy Buckley Round in north Wales, then the Denis Rankin Round in Northern Ireland, the Ramsay Round in Scotland, and finishing with the Bob Graham Round in the Lake District, his odyssey took in a total of 152 summits, 387km and 31,800m of ascent, only resting on the travel legs in between.
Jenkin, a Cumbrian police officer, attempted the challenge last August but was thwarted by injury and Storm Francis. The Dynafit-sponsored athlete completed the first two Rounds within 24-hours but the Ramsay Rounds took over 26 hours, and the Bob Graham Round was completed in 29:48 as fatigue took its toll.
His support team reported that in the final stages Jenkin was still climbing well, but downhill sections were causing him considerable discomfort.
Speaking at the finish, Jenkin thanked the dedication of his supporters, his family, and all the people who sent messages of encouragement during the challenge.
Mr Jenkin is raising funds for CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably) and said: “I suffer from depression, so I wanted to encourage others to do something which helps their own mental health. I can safely say that I am stronger now than I was before all this. Don’t man up, speak up!”
