Training for Kilimanjaro

Bootcamp courtesy of The Original Fitness Club in Dubai

Training is going well as I prepare for the climb. I have joined The Original Fitness Co (more about them below) http://www.originalfitnessco.com/ in Dubai and have been doing Bootcamp twice a week. The session is on a Monday and Wednesday at 6am, which means waking up at 5.15am and then walking to South Ridge, Downtown Dubai to meet Carlo and the other members.

The training consists of circuit type training, however thanks to the trainer Carlo it ranges every session, we even did Boxing the other day. The training is very hard and the weather doesn’t help, it is usually around 35-42 degrees and the humidity level is ridiculous.

I have also been running home from work a couple of times a week, this is only about 5k but its all in the bank! Again even at 6pm the weather is unbearable and you sweat a lot! I have invested in a Training Mask (see pictures below and to the left of this paragraph) which aims to help me with the altitude I will experience at the top of Kilimanjaro. I have used the mask for running and walking up the stairs to my apartment (23rd Floor) and it certainly limits the oxygen intake.

OFC Fitness – Dubai

OFC is a Company based in Abu Dhabi & Dubai that helps individuals attain the greatest gift of all, that of optimal fitness, health & wellness.
Products include:
– UAE’s ORIGINAL Boot Camp
– Personal Training
– YOGA
– Tennis
– Swimming
– 30 Day Challenge
– Corporate Wellness

Providing industry leading fitness, health & wellness programming that is Time Efficient, Highly Effective & Extremely Affordable.

OFC was Founded by UAE Pioneer Corey K Oliver who launched the first ever Corporate Wellness Programs & Military style Bootcamps in Dubai – January 2007 and Abu Dhabi – June 2009.

Detailed itinerary of Kilimanjaro

Day 1 (Friday 18th September)

Fly early morning from Dubai to Nairobi then Nairobi to Kilimanjaro. Land in Tanzania and transfer to the village of Marangu, 2km from the park entrance to Marangu Park Gate. An afternoon to relax and prepare for the challenge ahead.

Day 2 – 4.5 hours

The Trek begins! The trail weaves through dense forest filled with the noises of chattering colobus monkeys. We are surrounded by an incredible variety of towering trees, giant ferns and wild forest flowers.

Climb to altitude: 2744m / 9,000 feet

Sleep at altitude: 2700m / 8,860 feet.

Summary: Gentle ascent on a rain forest dirt trail, can be muddy/slippery if it has rained.

Day 3 – 7-8 hours

An early start for the longer trek uphill to Horombo Huts. The landscape takes on a more rugged and rocky terrain. We pass through the cloud level!

Climb to altitude: 3761m / 12,339 feet

Sleep at altitude: 3700m / 12,138 feet

Summary: Steady climb, through forest and across heath and moorland.

Horombo Huts

Day 4 – 5 hours

Today is an acclimatisation trek of approx 5 hours. Today will take us through streams and rocky mountain vegetation to “Zebra Rock” at 4,000m.

Climb to altitude: 4,200m / 13,780 feet

Sleep at altitude: 3,700m / 12,139 feet

Summary: Good ascent to 4,200m and back down.

Day 5 – 7-8 hours

Today we follow the lower route to Kibo Hut through spectacular mountain flora and fauna – giant cacti, lobelia and other mountain flowers line our route. After 4 hours we enter the deser zone and it can be slow going and cold due to the high altitude.

Climb to altitude: 4732m / 15,525 feet

Sleep at altitude: 4700m / 15,420 feet

Summary: Good path with final ascent at the end of the day, enter the desert zone.

Day 6 – 5 hours

We trek halfway to William’s point at 5000m to acclimatise to the high altitude and rest ready for tonight’s ascent to the summit.

Day 7 – 15-17 hours

The Summit! After a warm cup of tea and a light snack we set off late at night to embark on a slow ascent up the steepest and most difficult part of the challenge to Gilman’s Point at an altitude of 5685m, where we watch the sun begin to rise. Everyone qualifies to have climbed Kilimanjaro at this point. There is an option to continue on from here for a further 2 hours through snow and wind to Uhuru Peak, 5895m. It can be extremely cold to well below freezing temperatures.

Day 8 – 6-7 hours

We have breakfast and prepare to descend. Descent is rapid, in 3.5 hours we reach Marangu Park Gate. We stop for lunch and then transfer to our hotel and relax before (hopefully) celebrating together and toasting our achievements.

Day 9 – Back to the Desert in Dubai to relax by a pool with a corona and a bomb jager! 

About CALM

CALM or The Campaign Against Living Miserably 

THE CAMPAIGN AGAINST LIVING MISERABLY, or CALM, is a registered charity, which exists to prevent male suicide in the UK.   In 2013, male suicide accounts for 78% of all suicides and is the single biggest cause of death in men aged 20 – 45 in the UK. 

PREVENTING MALE SUICIDE

We seek to prevent male suicide by:-

• Offering support to men in the UK, of any age, who are down or in crisis via our helpline and website.
• Challenging a culture that prevents men seeking help when they need it, see www.yearofthemale.com
• Pushing for changes in policy and practice so that suicide is better prevented via partnerships such as The Alliance of Suicide Prevention Charities (TASC), the National Suicide Prevention Alliance (NSPA) .  CALM also hosts the Suicide Bereavement Support Partnership (SBSP), which includes Cruse, If U Care Share, Papyrus, SoBS and the Samaritans amongst others. This partnership aims to ensure that everyone bereaved or affected by suicide is offered and receives timely and appropriate support. Its members are working collaboratively to ensure this vision becomes a reality.

CALM’s VALUES

• We believe that if men felt able to ask for and find help when they need it then hundreds of male suicides could be prevented.  We believe that there is a cultural barrier preventing men from seeking help as they are expected to be in control at all times, and failure to be seen as such equates to weakness and a loss of masculinity.
• We’re a campaign for all men, not just ‘service users’.  All of us, at one time or another regardless of gender, will hit a crisis and so we could all do with specialist support when things go wrong.
• We aren’t here to represent health professionals or the mental health industry.  CALM is about, for and on behalf of men.  We use young men’s peers, their voices and interests to reach them.  We seek to work with clubs, venues and brands with voices that men respect, feel comfortable with and trust to get our message across.

   HELPLINE SERVICE

We are a national charity and our helpline takes calls from across the UK. Our helpline service is open 5pm-midnight every day of the year.  Calls are confidential and anonymous. Calls are taken by trained and skilled helpline workers who provide support, information and signposting to callers.  We signpost to national agencies unless the caller lives within a CALMzone (see below), in which case we are able to signpost to local agencies.  This service is caller led, confidential and anonymous.  The helpline is operated on behalf of CALM by the Community Interest Company.   Callers can also access the same service via webchat.

CALM HELPLINE TELEPHONE NUMBER IS 0800 58 58 58 5pm to midnight 365 days a year

Charity reg no 11106

Toby Allnutt Memorial Golf Day

Charity Golf Day

On Friday 17th July 2015 35 of our family and friends turned up to Surrey Downs Golf Club in Kingswood, Surrey for the Toby Allnutt Memorial Golf Day.

It was clear as people warmed up on the driving range that this was the first time some of the golfers had picked up a club. Infact it was only a week before that a friend (who will remain nameless) just about to take his second shot, picked the ball up and put it on a tee, needless to say he was put in the last 4 ball of the charity golf day so not to slow the rest of us up!

The day started with Bacon rolls and a cup of rosy lee in the club house as each golfer turned up with some even coming as far away as Billericay in Essex.

The Golf course was in lovely condition and was fairly challenging for the experienced players between us but still enjoyable for the players who hadn’t played Golf before. We got very lucky with the weather on the day except for about 5 minutes of rain on the 5th hole. A special mention to Darren Stones for organising pretty much the whole day and to Stevie Goodyear who took a day off work to drive round in the refreshment buggy (See video below) providing us with much needed beer, shots and entertainment. We all managed to get round in a fairly quick time and it was back to the club house for more alcohol and then on to Clapham for the charity evening.

The winner of the Toby Allnutt Memorial Golf day 2015, best individual was Matthijs Hoff.

Thank you very much to everyone who attended it was an amazing turn out, heres to next year..

About Me

About Me

My name is Mark Parsons and I am raising money for CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably) a charity that exists to prevent Male suicide in the UK.

Suicide is the single biggest cause of death in Men aged 20-45 in England and Wales

My brother Toby was a regular guy who was the life and soul of any party. He had a good upbringing, a very good job in the city, had just turned 40 and recently married Lisa in a lovely wedding in the South of France, just three months before he passed away. They were due to go on their honeymoon in the coming days, however, unfortunately that day never came. Toby had lots of friends, with over 400 people attending his funeral and most of all came from a loving caring family. To me, his little brother, he had everything! He was loved dearly by his Wife, Mum, Dad, Brothers, Step Mum, Step Dad, Nieces and Nephews, however, he was clearly battling this horrible disease and like many men who suffer from Depression he was battling it alone. This illness affects people of all ages, all backgrounds and most commonly the last person you would expect it to affect, like very recently the actor Robin Williams and to everyone who knew him, Toby.

Toby loved all kinds of sports, however, his big love was Chelsea Football Club where he has had a season ticket for many years (He was there in the shed watching the likes of Kerry Dixon, he certainly wasn’t a ‘new’ Chelsea fan – He will be happy I wrote that! There is a picture in the gallery of this justgiving page of his seat the game after he passed away). Toby being the generous and thoughtful person he was has participated in many charity events including running marathons and raising lots of money in the process, which made our family extremely proud of him. It was because of this that I decided to sign up to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in AfricaToby loved all kinds of sports, however, his big love was Chelsea Football Club where he has had a season ticket for many years (He was there in the shed watching the likes of Kerry Dixon, he certainly wasn’t a ‘new’ Chelsea fan – He will be happy I wrote that! There is a picture in the gallery of this justgiving page of his seat the game after he passed away). Toby being the generous and thoughtful person he was has participated in many charity events including running marathons and raising lots of money in the process, which made our family extremely proud of him. It was because of this that I decided to sign up to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa.

Thank you,

Mark

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