An Evening of Adventure

I was lucky enough this week to attend an event I won tickets at through work - hosted by the Black Grouse, an evening of adventure with Ben Fogle, Sir Ranulph Fiennes, Olly Hicks and Kenton Cool.  What a great privilege it was to hear them share some of their experiences, and to understand how they've gone through (more on the mental side), some feelings that touched very close to home for me.

I'll confess a couple of things...I have a wee crush on Ben Fogle...and I'd not heard of 2 of those presenters before the event, so here's a little more about them..

Kenton Cool - wow - I have a new crush on him now!  And I would highly recommend going to hear him speak if you ever get the chance.  As his website says, 'energetic, entertaining, inspiring', and close to tears with emotion at one point!  He's successfully climbed Everest 11 times and is one of the world's leading mountain guides.  He was honest, humble, funny, and not at all 'up himself' with what he has achieved!

Olly Hicks was the youngest person to row solo across the Atlantic from USA to UK in 2005, surviving 124 days on his own - and not giving up on his dream (he almost had a companion, but after a dispute on which way to cross the Atlantic, Olly stuck to his intentions to start in the USA, and went solo!).  He retold his adventure in an unassuming and understated manner - making jokes about being short and ginger, and along with all 4 of them claims to be pretty 'thick' and that's why they all turned to adventure!  He said he quite enjoyed the solitude, after having partied hard with his friends for a few years before hand.

Ben Fogle I'm sure most of you know was one of the participants in one of the early 'reality' shows - Castaway.  Stuck on the Scottish island of Taransay for a year with 32 others.  He's gone on to do many (often televised) adventures, often with James Cracknell (who I have mixed opinions on).  He was the host for the evening, and 'interviewed' the others with some pre-set questions, and others from the audience, whilst also sharing some of his tales of adventure.

And Ranulph Fiennes, probably needs no introduction.  Again, I was struck by how unassuming he was.  I had some pre-conceptions that he was going to be a bit pompous (having tried on a couple of occasions to read Mad, Bad and Dangerous to Know, and not really got on with it).  Hearing how he and his late wife spent years searching for a lost village, and years working in bars trying to live and raise funds for expeditions, without any airs and graces, was really quite humbling and inspiring.  How many of us give up on dreams when they seem so difficult to achieve?

It was a captivating couple of hours, with the audience hanging on the words of all 4 speakers. The time just flew by. For me, aside from the extremeness of some of their achievements, a couple of things really struck home.

When talking about what was better, the journey of preparation, or the event itself, they spoke very openly about a sense of 'bereavement' when the challenge was completed, often after months or years of fundraising, training and endeavor.  It was comforting to hear that even people at that level of awesomeness still suffer the same feelings some of us mere mortals do, and that really resonated with how I felt in the aftermath of the WHW this year.

Another question was around what was more important, the mental or the physical preparation.  To which at least two of them answered, neither, it's actually about having the correct kit!  I do like a bit of new kit...however, also appreciate that when something 'works', it has to be a keeper!  There was also a valid point about not doing months and months of training solely in the discipline in which you will compete - Olly Hicks spoke about there being 'little point' spending all his time on a rowing machine, when he was about to have nothing else but rowing to do for the 124 day expedition!  A good lesson in cross-training... And while I'm not dismissing mental and physical preparation as vital parts of what we need to do, it was funny to hear that these elite guys place extremely high value on good kit!

I'm sure there were many more tales and inspiration I should remember and share.  Suffice to say, I came away enthused and optimistic....a great end to a Monday which had seen the results of the WHW race ballot for 2015 announced!  Goblet number 2, I'm coming to get you!!