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Alex Staniforth
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This week on the UKRunChat Podcast, we speak with adventurer & mental health advocate Alex Staniforth about his most ambitious challenge yet – climbing all 446 mountains in England & Wales in just 50 days. 🏔️
But this episode is more than a challenge breakdown – it's about why Alex does what he does, how he overcame personal struggles, and how he's turning endurance into impact through his charity, Mind Over Mountains.
Alex is a survivor of two Mount Everest disasters which have given Alex a unique perspective on success and failure, and a new purpose to inspire others and leave something bigger behind.
Website: www.alexstaniforth.com/446challenge
Donate: www.justgiving.com/page/446challenge
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Transcript
Introduction to Alex and the 446 Challenge
00:00:00
UKRunChat
Welcome to the UK Run Chat Podcast. I'm Michelle and today's guest is somebody who truly embodies the spirit of resilience and purpose.
00:00:11
UKRunChat
I'm joined today by Alex Staniforth, who is an extreme adventurer, mental health advocate and co-founder of the charity Mind Over Mountains. and This year, to mark his 30th birthday day and the 10 year anniversary of surviving the Everest earthquake,
00:00:27
UKRunChat
Alex is taking on perhaps his most ambitious expedition yet, climbing all 446 mountains in England and Wales in just 50 days, completely self-powered.
00:00:39
UKRunChat
Wow, Alex, that is certainly some challenge. Thank you for coming on today. How are you?
00:00:45
Alex Staniforth
Yes, thank you. you're Good to be here. How am I? Crikey, it's just, well, time recording, it's just over a week to go. So it's a mix of everything. It's denial, it's excitement, and it's fear, it's stress, it's lack of sleep. It's, yeah, it's kind of surreal.
00:01:00
Alex Staniforth
You know, the time before a challenge is always weird, but actually just getting to the star line is always the hardest part. um So, yeah, I think I'll be very, very relieved when I hit, you know, when I hit the watch in Dartmoor.
00:01:12
UKRunChat
Yeah, in in some ways, it's it's good once you've actually taken that first step and got going, isn't it, I suppose?
00:01:18
Alex Staniforth
Yeah, I think it's just so much before that, like people don't always see that actually like there's always a massive sigh of relief and almost you can just let the weight up your shoulders and it's the same with any race, you know, when you start the watch, there's that kind of like giddy excitement, there's that adrenaline rush and also the the the kind of temptation to go off too fast.
00:01:38
Alex Staniforth
So I've got to sustain myself for the duration and the schedule and and not hurt myself. So um yeah it's it's a real mix of emotions but i'm just so focused on everything i need to do that you've just got to prioritize as well and um you know there's never enough time to do everything but i can't jeopardize myself and my health and my fitness which is the most important thing so it's um quite ruthless really
Origins and Goals of the 446 Challenge
00:02:04
UKRunChat
Yeah. So let's let's um kind of just explain what exactly the 446 challenge is. How and when did this idea first come about then? How long has it been in the planning?
00:02:15
Alex Staniforth
It's strange because I was actually thinking about this a few days ago that actually um I would say that like don't kind of give up on an idea that you can't go like a week or a day without actually you thinking about. And I found one of my goal plans from I think it was 2021 when I'd actually written like the idea or a goal to yeah climb a mountain in an England Wales or I think in the UK.
00:02:35
Alex Staniforth
then I quickly realized that Scotland's too big and it would take me a year.
00:02:39
UKRunChat
Yeah.
00:02:40
Alex Staniforth
um um And so I think I had this subconscious idea to do it for a while. And I heard about James Forrest, who is a friend and he's also based in the lakes. And he did all the Nuttall's, which is um a list classified as mountains over 610 metres with 15 metres of prominence in England and Wales.
00:02:59
Alex Staniforth
um And you know he did them all in six months whilst working as well, which is really impressive. I think that's where the idea came from. um For me, the 446 challenge is no named after you know all the peaks, which actually currently, um there's been ah few changes over the years because they've kind of like measured and resurveyed a few peaks and some of them now don't meet the heights. Some of them have been added.
00:03:23
Alex Staniforth
So there's actually only 442 on the current list, but I want to do all the ones that James did and the old list sort of pre-2018. um And a lot of the peaks are already kind of on the route anyway, so I may as well just kind of do them.
00:03:38
Alex Staniforth
and
00:03:38
UKRunChat
Yes.
00:03:38
Alex Staniforth
And that way I'm capturing,
Logistics and Motivation for the Challenge
00:03:42
Alex Staniforth
you know, all the summits in old and new. But in terms of the challenge itself, I mean, for me, I always wanted to do it like in one human powered push. And I guess, you know, I don't have a car anyway and I can't drive, so I have to do it by human power. um So I wanted to try and do it in and the fastest time possible because, know,
00:04:01
Alex Staniforth
partially because of work, because I need to get back to work, but also I can't i can't afford for it to take months and months. and I'm just really motivated by doing stuff that hasn't really been done before and doing it in a different style and something that's going to take in like a wide part of the country rather than just being focused in one area and getting to engage people and just to see different parts of our country. So the idea really came about probably the end of last year and i didn't actually kind of commit until probably January and That's the hard part, you know, we can have an idea and find lots of reasons not to do it and put it off and put it off. And I just realized that this year was the year.
00:04:40
Alex Staniforth
Like, I can't let another year go by without this not happening. um So I threw myself in the deep end. And then you have many, many moments after that when you kind of worry and you think, why on earth am I doing this? um But you just have to trust it's the right thing to do.
00:04:54
Alex Staniforth
And um because of the you know because it we kind of not driving up to do a lot more on the bike so doing something that involves running and cycling just felt a natural fit for me i'm definitely more of runner and concept of the challenge is essentially um you know is running 446 peaks in england and then and
00:05:07
UKRunChat
Yeah.
00:05:19
Alex Staniforth
and then cycling or but distance between them so it's around a 60 to 40% split in terms of running and cycling, which for me is good because the actual like cycling is kind of recovery.
00:05:32
Alex Staniforth
And it sounds daft to say doing 110 miles on the bike is recovery. um But in terms of impact on the body, it's obviously a lot less. And are we starting Dartmoor and finishing in the Lake District?
00:05:44
Alex Staniforth
With a schedule, yeah, under 50 days, all being well. And, you know, so fundraising for our charity, which is the most important thing.
00:05:47
UKRunChat
Yeah.
00:05:50
UKRunChat
yeah ah Yeah. So tell us a little bit about your charity as because you co-founded this, didn't you, a while back?
00:05:55
Alex Staniforth
Yeah, so 2020, it all started and, and and you know, them we actually started originally our first event in 2018. But, you know, if you might have, you know, you know, strange, I'm a stammer. I always struggle saying the word of the charity, but mine over mountains got it.
00:06:12
Alex Staniforth
Um, is, uh, it's a mental health charity. And basically the idea came from an event we did in 2018, where we kind of combine hill walking, uh, it's coaching, it's counseling, it's mindfulness and inspiration speakers.
00:06:25
Alex Staniforth
And basically giving people that combination of being out in nature and exercising and being in the Hills that all love, but having that professional mental health support at the same time.
00:06:36
Alex Staniforth
And for me, you know, being outside, being active and i think running in particular, has been the best antidepressant that I've ever tried. um For me, it's one of the most powerful tools that we have.
00:06:47
Alex Staniforth
And it's not a cure, you know, it's not a magic pill. um But I don't think we should be looking for that. We should be looking for tools that we can use to cope with life. And I realised in 2017, when I cycled around the country, that was on the, you know, that was climbing all the 100, that was the highest point of all the 100 counties in the country, that it took me longer to get the help I needed as a young man suffering with anxiety, depression, and an eating disorder but did um than it did to actually cycle 5,000 miles around the country, which clearly is not good enough.
00:07:22
UKRunChat
Wow, that's pretty sobering, actually, isn't it Yeah.
00:07:23
Alex Staniforth
So it's terrifying. Yeah. And I felt lucky because I've always kind of been close to nature and I've had, you know, the hills, I've had running and cycling to escape to.
00:07:26
UKRunChat
him
00:07:33
Alex Staniforth
So the charity essentially is is about, enabling access to that and giving people the support and the time out and the respite that they all need and deserve. And we deliver day walks and weekend retreats all across England and Wales.
00:07:47
Alex Staniforth
um We started as very you know as a very small charity, but now we're doing events, you know both in the public, but also the emergency services you know for the police, for the Welsh Ambulance Service, for Bupa, you know all sorts of different groups with different challenges.
00:08:00
Alex Staniforth
But some you know for me, it's like been I guess my natural health service, you know, and I think that everybody should have access to this.
Mental Health and Outdoor Challenges
00:08:08
Alex Staniforth
So with this challenge, I want to raise 100,000 pounds and that could provide um and fund a thousand places on our walks across the country as well.
00:08:19
Alex Staniforth
And those are all watching actually fully funded. So you're free for anybody over 18 attending them. and I think fundraising nowadays, like it's so difficult. I mean, unless you're a celebrity off Love Island or unless you're, you know, a well-known athlete, it's it's really hard, you know, and because of that, I have to think of more ridiculous ways of raising money. And I i hope that this challenge is he's going to tick that box really.
00:08:43
UKRunChat
Yeah, I think it it certainly does on the on paper, doesn't it? Yeah. it's It's not just another adventure, though, is it? Because it ties into two big milestones for you. can you tell Because it's your 30th birthday, isn't it?
00:08:54
UKRunChat
And can you tell us a little bit about what happened um during the the Everest earthquake?
00:08:56
Alex Staniforth
Yeah.
00:08:59
Alex Staniforth
Yeah. So like, I ah guess I've run for, since since I've been a teenager and and for a few years, my big goal, you know, it was kind of, the you know, it was, it was big mountains at Everest.
00:09:04
UKRunChat
Yeah.
00:09:11
Alex Staniforth
And I went to Everest in 2014 when I was 18, attempting to be the second youngest Brit. That didn't go to plan with the big avalanche, which hit just of a base count and kill 16 people.
00:09:23
Alex Staniforth
So we went back in 2015 and we were just below Camp 1 when the earthquake hit Nepal, which also didn't quite go to plan. And 19 people died at base camp as well as 9000 people across Nepal.
00:09:35
Alex Staniforth
um And you know being hit by a big powder avalanche in the ice ball was the first time in my life at 19 that thought, um this is it, game over.
00:09:47
Alex Staniforth
And it really teaches you a lot about what's important in life. And I think um maybe realize just how fragile life really is. and And I guess there was a lot of mental health challenges that came with that experience and the trauma that I experienced and wanting to turn that disaster into something positive.
00:10:05
Alex Staniforth
And since then, you know, that's why I've been telling the story. I've been doing more challenges, starting charity, because I think success is really about what we leave behind. it's It's about creating something bigger than ourselves rather than just chasing the next goal, or the next mountain, the next race, the next house, the next job, the next thing. And and so,
00:10:23
Alex Staniforth
um Like I wanted to do something to mark 10 years since that happened. And, you know, since we lost our Sherpas and 10 years for some reason seems like a very poignant number, you know, and also I think the turning 30 thing as well with the mental health story feels really powerful for me because I realized like so many young people won't reach that milestone because now suicide is the biggest killer of people in the 35 in the UK. And when I saw that stat, it really just, just shocked and saddened me that
00:10:54
Alex Staniforth
you know, something's got to change. And so many young men in particular, I think they reach that milestone and and they feel like they're not where they should be in life or they feel like they failed or they just don't know where they want to go with life.
00:11:06
Alex Staniforth
And I want to do something that's going to get the story out there and that message that actually it's OK if things don't go to plan. It's OK if you don't know where you are, because I've overcome a few challenges and I hope that I can show them that they can too.
00:11:19
Alex Staniforth
You know, their Everest may be something very different. um And it's always the thing, the way to do that, to tell that story and create awareness is to go and do something really stupid like this. So it is around fundraising for mental health. And ah do see firsthand how life changing that can be for people who attend our events, you know, of all ages and there's the fundraising, there's creating stories and conversations as well.
00:11:47
Alex Staniforth
And I think that's, that's a really important aspect of this and it, it it it ties into those things quite well, I think, you know, and and we hit all these big milestones and i hate birthdays anyway, so I thought there's no place I'd rather spend it than on a big run.
00:12:00
Alex Staniforth
I think on my actual birthday in June, I'll be and in Northumberland at the time on the final stage.
00:12:05
UKRunChat
Oh, that sounds wonderful. Yeah, that sounds lovely. like and I mean, you you've faced a lot of kind of mental health challenges. You've been very open on your social media channels about your challenges.
00:12:17
UKRunChat
Do you think kind of that adversity that you faced helps you face these kind of ultra difficult challenges? How do the two kind of, you know, help one another really?
00:12:25
Alex Staniforth
I
00:12:30
Alex Staniforth
think for sure I think a lot people I know and meet who do ultra marathons or ultra endurance challenges have generally experienced some kind of major trauma I think I think you kind have to otherwise you wouldn't voluntarily do these things and put yourself in that position um and for me it's very been been very much been part of my coping and my kind recovery and my journey is like you know, life will throw challenges at us that we don't get to choose. we do Doing these these challenges ourselves is kind of a luxury, like, because if things get too hard, we can just go home at any point.
00:13:03
Alex Staniforth
um But I think for sure, like, it's experiencing those things as a child, and as a teenager, as a young man that make you more resilient, you know, you learn coping tools, and you're kind of in that mindset that, okay, well, I've been worse, I've been somewhere much harder than this, I got through it, I survived.
00:13:20
Alex Staniforth
you then have that confidence and experience to put yourself out there, you know, and kind of keep raising the bar and life and challenges don't get easier, but the bar just gets higher and we become more tolerant and more resilient of that. um So I really think it's it's just about by challenging ourselves voluntarily, um we build that resilience, we build that mindset and that confidence that, okay, this is really hard, but actually I've got the tools I need. I've got the team around me.
00:13:48
Alex Staniforth
um But it's relative, you know, example, put me on a mountain in a howling gale I'm probably pretty happy and pretty comfortable. Put me a bath on a stranger's and I'd rather have a table.
00:13:59
Alex Staniforth
ah
00:13:59
UKRunChat
I think I'm with you there, Alex. Yeah, that's not my idea of fun.
00:14:01
Alex Staniforth
Yeah, I sort of run, you know, get outside and be away from that.
00:14:02
UKRunChat
Yeah.
00:14:05
Alex Staniforth
But like, you know, i think when you survive anything naturally, it's like growing a muscle, the muscle becomes stronger.
00:14:05
UKRunChat
yeah
00:14:13
UKRunChat
Yeah, so so really it kind of building that resilience to deal with challenges outside of your comfort zone can help you with dealing kind of with the the mental and kind of aspects that you might be struggling with as well.
00:14:26
Alex Staniforth
Yeah.
00:14:28
UKRunChat
So when when you take people on your kind of charity walks and is that kind of what you're aiming for to help people realize that they can achieve more than they think they can?
00:14:39
Alex Staniforth
It really depends on where they are on the journey. you know Some people may have been and quite a you know severe ah period of yeah know period of poor mental health. Maybe they've been hospitalized they've been in therapy.
00:14:51
Alex Staniforth
And it's just about making that first step. you know For some people coming out with us for a day in the hills is a massive step and takes so much courage. Some people just need as a top up. They need a bit of a break.
00:15:03
Alex Staniforth
And that's perfectly needed for us all as well. um So it's generally focused on that you know self-help and that kind of holistic approach to mental health because we use the framework of the five ways of well-being, which you know one of those aspects is about exercise we all know that exercise boosts our mental health it reduces the risks so many things it makes you feel better and the second thing is connecting so having you know like-minded people around you not judging you know when i think when you're walking side by side without eye contact like running it's easier to talk about things than you know being in a face-to-face kind of environment um there's giving you know so actually giving ourselves that permission and actually
00:15:45
Alex Staniforth
giving other people that support and kindness, it also is is really important for us. um It's noticing, you know, it's being mindful, being in the moment, you know, we teach people how to do that on the hillside, and then they can apply that into their, you know, everyday lives, whether they're, you know, on a train or in a meeting and feeling anxious.
00:16:03
Alex Staniforth
I'm learning new skills, you know, it's given them the confidence that um you know they come on a walk and don't feel like they have to you know always be with us or be with a group that we can teach them how to go into the mountains safely and and keep on challenging themselves because it's like running you know you've got to keep on doing it to improve and these things have to become habits not just a one-off intervention um but for sure you know so many people come away from these things and think oh my god i never thought i could do a hill you know and then they go and do more challenges we had we had one guy who joined us in uh in in the peter strips a few years ago
00:16:31
UKRunChat
yeah
00:16:37
Alex Staniforth
and he said how much it literally was the best weekend of his life and he ended up doing his first marathon to actually fundraise for us and he'd never done like a run in his life so he just straight away and did a full marathon you know so i guess that speaks for itself really
00:16:52
UKRunChat
Yeah, it does, doesn't it? Yeah, that's wonderful. So somebody's listening right now and thinking, i'm I'm struggling a little bit with my mental health. what What would you say to them?
00:17:02
Alex Staniforth
I mean, obviously, we are just one of many charities and organisations and we're not going to be right for everybody. And, and you know, if we might be able to help them if they're based in the UK. Our website is mindofthebountains.org.uk or find us on social media. You know, we do have events, walks and retreats all across the country.
00:17:19
Alex Staniforth
um I think the first thing I'd say to people often is is that can be quite a big step. There might be a smaller step in the meantime. And I'd imagine given this podcast, they're going to be interested in running or in the outdoors.
00:17:29
Alex Staniforth
um So I'm not going to say, you know, go for a run because I found my lowest points have been when I've been injured or when I've been ill. I'm not able to run. And suddenly you lose that coping mechanism. And that's when my mental health really gets gets challenging.
00:17:43
Alex Staniforth
um What I would say is actually focus on getting the basics right. like the habits, like enough sleep, eating well, you know, not spiralling into bad habits, because I think if we can just focus on the things that we can control, that might be just going outside for 10 minutes.
00:18:00
Alex Staniforth
It might just be having half an hour off our phones or off social media every day. think being outside every day, even if it's just for a walk or sitting in a garden, is one of the simplest and most powerful things we can do.
00:18:11
Alex Staniforth
um The paradox with depression is it can make it so hard to do those basic things. So if we can focus on those basics, I think that really helps us to maintain control when everything feels outside of our control.
Route Planning and Training for the Challenge
00:18:25
Alex Staniforth
And the second piece really is around speaking to somebody. I know we hear this all the time, but actually, like, we have no idea what other people are going through until we talk about it. and It might be doing it online, it might be a WhatsApp rather than doing face to face.
00:18:41
Alex Staniforth
um But people people do care, we're not on our own. And, you know, if somebody came to us asking for help or said they were struggling, I mean, surely we'd only want to help them. So why would anybody feel differently about us?
00:18:55
UKRunChat
Yeah, it can be hard starting those conversations sometimes though, can't it? When you're so kind of in your own in your own head about it. Yeah.
00:19:03
Alex Staniforth
It can, and I've definitely found that.
00:19:04
UKRunChat
yeah
00:19:06
Alex Staniforth
And think um what other people can do around that is actually not iss kind of not to use all the cliches and and all the stereotypes of, you know, oh, you know cheer, up what have you got to be sad about?
00:19:17
Alex Staniforth
It's not that bad. you know And actually just asking, like, if if people ask us if we're OK, oh, you know, we say by default, oh, yeah, you know you know, I'm fine when we're really not fine.
00:19:29
Alex Staniforth
Having those friends around us and those family members who say, actually, you know, how are you really? um just to go the extra mile, given is that space to talk about it, I think is really helpful. um But you know, WhatsApp and social media and online messages can can make that process a bit easier, I find. And it's definitely my first point call if I'm struggling.
00:19:48
Alex Staniforth
um But it is difficult. And it's having people around us who notice those changes, I think is really important.
00:19:54
UKRunChat
Yeah, yeah, that's really good advice. Thanks, Alex. So let's let's get into kind of the 446 challenge then. so and so you're starting off in Dartmoor and you're you're climbing kind of the mountain centre and you're kind of winding your way up to to finish in the Lake District.
00:20:04
Alex Staniforth
Yeah.
00:20:11
UKRunChat
So is there a particular part of the route that you're most looking forward to or that you're particularly dreading?
00:20:18
Alex Staniforth
Oh, blimey. Well, firstly, looking forward to, I think, is getting back into the Lake District because it's my home, you know, it's my home area.
00:20:22
UKRunChat
Yeah, yeah.
00:20:24
Alex Staniforth
It's where I train. have a lot more friends and people I know here. So I hope I'll have a lot more people joining me. um And I'll know that I'm on the final straight.
00:20:33
UKRunChat
you
00:20:33
Alex Staniforth
So definitely the Lake District. Not looking forward to, i mean, there's some really, really big days in Wales, which is my first conception. I think Wales is going to cheer me up. um So if I can survive Wales, I think um I'm in a good place.
00:20:47
Alex Staniforth
um and I'm a bit nervous around Mikkelfell and the Pennines because two well there's two or more of the peaks which are actually in War Cup training zones, so it's actually like a military firing area and there's a lot of logistics around permits and getting there on certain access days, which means there's not a lot of um movement in my schedule which makes it really challenging, so we've had to do lots of moving around but so If I can get across the Pennines without being blown up, I think I'll be very relieved by that problem.
00:21:18
UKRunChat
Yeah, but hopefully you manage that fine. Yes. and So you've kind of you have done these kind of hill running and cycling challenges before, haven't you? Because you did um you you kind of attempted the the three piece, didn't you? Running and and on the bike.
00:21:37
Alex Staniforth
yeah i've not done anything like really big for probably five years now and this is why i've had the itch that i you know want to do something big and go all out and you know and go all in and i think i think this fulfills that but um my last big consecutive run was on the free peaks run so back in 2020 just as the world was starting to open back up again um so climbing the national free peaks but running the entire thing and
00:21:41
UKRunChat
Yeah. Yeah.
00:21:53
UKRunChat
Yeah.
00:22:02
Alex Staniforth
At the time, I was trying to go for the fastest time, which was held by Tom Mountney. It's since been smashed by Dan Lawson, which is not surprising because Dan is a machine and a great guy as well.
00:22:13
Alex Staniforth
and And that was about 450 miles, or about 17 and a half marathons, which I completed in nine and a half days. So I missed the record by one hour, which is frustrating.
00:22:25
Alex Staniforth
And obviously, it's been smashed a few times since then.
00:22:25
UKRunChat
Yes.
00:22:28
Alex Staniforth
umm But that was yeah that was the hardest thing I'd ever done by a long way, um you know, up to 50 miles a day or more. ah The terrain, the consecutive side of it was, yeah, that was the toughest thing I'd ever done. um Prior to that, I'd done climbing UK in 2017, which was climbing on the highest point of all the 100 counties. So yeah, that was about 5,000 miles of cycling, running, walking and kayaking in 72 days.
00:22:55
Alex Staniforth
So that's actually a lot lot longer than this, but I think this is a lot more running based, which is obviously going to be a lot more demanding.
00:22:59
UKRunChat
Yeah.
00:23:02
Alex Staniforth
um but i'm yeah i'm trying to use that as reassurance that i've been in similar places i'm be okay i think and if it was certain then there'd be no point but there's no point in the adventure like it's it's getting a schedule hard enough that it it excites me but it feels realistic but also a bit terrifying
00:23:21
UKRunChat
Yeah. So how long kind of mileage wise will your days be on the bike and on the run?
00:23:26
Alex Staniforth
um It really varies. So there's lots of logistical factors and some of the stages are so long that, for example, we've not been able to like reach a road, for example. um But my longest day, I think, is around 36 miles and over 3,000 meters of ascent.
00:23:42
Alex Staniforth
So I think 3,600 meters is my biggest hike gain in one day. um and again that's in wales you know there's some big days in the lake district as well um but there's there's a lot of days which are over 50 kilometers um and they're kind of consecutive so that's going to be the real sticking point um there are shorter days as well you know to allow me to recover because injury is probably my biggest risk of the whole thing um and yeah i think 36 miles is my longest uh which considering i ran you know i ran 29 miles on
00:23:49
UKRunChat
yeah.
00:24:04
UKRunChat
yeah
00:24:16
Alex Staniforth
on Saturday in the T round, you know, it's it's just trying to kind of imagine how that's going to feel day after day after day.
00:24:22
UKRunChat
Yeah.
00:24:22
Alex Staniforth
And I did a hundred and, sorry, I've got 110 miles on the bike on on day one, actually. So I'm starting off with my longest ride ah from Dartmoor to Bristol and then doing a hundred miles the next day but just under a hundred miles into South Wales.
00:24:30
UKRunChat
Oh, wow.
00:24:37
Alex Staniforth
um So the bike really is the godsend. um If I didn't have the bike, it was going to take me a lot, lot longer than this.
00:24:45
UKRunChat
Yeah. Yeah. So what's your training look like for this then? I mean, obviously, you've been out climbing lots of hills and doing long days. kind of how many hours per week have you been training?
00:24:56
Alex Staniforth
I mean, it's really varied. I think I've really, i really ram ramped it up the last two, three months. And I think I've reached a point when I panicked and I thought, blimey, I don't have long, like I need to be doing more. And it's interesting with these projects, because like your worries and your priorities and your panics will change day by day. You know, something that becomes a major concern in one month, like a month later, you're like totally relaxed about that. There's something else will take its place.
00:25:20
Alex Staniforth
um But because I'm based in the lake, so just in the outskirts in Kendall, I'm really lucky that I have hills to run up. And the real focus has just been about getting my legs as resilient as possible. So as much ascent as I can. um So in terms of an average week, I mean, I think my longest week has been nearly 20 hours.
00:25:37
Alex Staniforth
ah I'm running and cycling and hill walking. um I'm probably cycling once a week. I'm running five or six days a week. um The consecutive days has been the key things. So, for example, like trying to run and cycle on the same day or, you know, doing a big run on a Friday and then a big run on Saturday or, you know, a big bike ride.
00:25:56
Alex Staniforth
um Reducing intensity just to allow me to get more long runs with lots of ascent. So I did my last, um my biggest prep run, which was last weekend, which was the T-round in Keswick, which is yeah just just short of 30 miles with about 11,000 feet climbing.
00:26:13
Alex Staniforth
I've done the a lunar round twice, which is 24 miles with about 8,500 feet, um just increasing that height gain in my long runs because I guess I've reached a plateau where I might be running 3,000 or 4,000 feet over my long runs every weekend, but actually my body kind of adjusted to that and I needed my legs to get used to you know much, much bigger bates.
00:26:37
Alex Staniforth
With any short sessions and hill reps, it's been like it has been focused on height gain rather than speed work as such. um I think the main thing has been strength training and doing that at least twice a week because I'm your typical runner I'm you know I used to be you know I used to run on roads and as a recovering road runner I hated strength training and still don't enjoy it but so physically I do feel stronger now than ever before and I think it's that combination of a lot more height gain um and the strength work and I think in terms height gain now I'm
00:26:47
UKRunChat
yeah
00:27:12
Alex Staniforth
I've been hitting at least 10,000 feet a week, sometimes up to 17,000, 18,000 feet across hill walks and runs on bike rides, which is enough? I guess I'll find out, but it's a lot more than I've ever done before.
00:27:25
Alex Staniforth
And you know I think ah take confidence from this that although I wish I'd done more, I wish I'd had more time.
00:27:25
UKRunChat
you.
00:27:33
Alex Staniforth
The body does adjust. It does build stamina and endurance as you go, but you just have to give it chance to to adapt. um And, you know, in terms of mileage as well, answering that question, I think my my biggest week has been around 70 miles, um but ah around 60 for me has been a sweet spot and I've hit quite a few of those weeks, um but it's all slow.
00:27:56
Alex Staniforth
You know, it's it's it's kind of long hours and and big hill runs rather than anything really fast and intense.
00:28:02
UKRunChat
Yeah. And like you say, we need to find what works well for our own bodies. Don't we? What is your kind of calorific intake being has, has that had to change a lot during training?
00:28:12
Alex Staniforth
um I don't track it. You know, for me, like, having had an eating disorder, like, I really avoid any kind of calorie tracking or anything like that because it's really not healthy for me.
00:28:13
UKRunChat
Yeah.
00:28:17
UKRunChat
Yeah.
00:28:20
Alex Staniforth
um So I'm not going to say I eat a lot because that's really not specific or helpful, you know, for anybody. But so I think I've just been very instinctive, you know, and because I don't track calories now. I just have what I feel like. But, you know, it's mostly plant-based.
00:28:34
Alex Staniforth
um And ah what I have really changed, which has been really key for me this year, is
00:28:34
UKRunChat
Yes.
00:28:39
Alex Staniforth
re-increasing my carbs per hour on the runs. And when I did the coast to coast last year, at least I tried the coast to coast last year and that didn't quite go as planned, I found I was trying to hit all these kind of targets around carbs per hour and you know and all the calories, but actually my body hadn't been trained for that.
00:28:59
Alex Staniforth
So the stomach issues, I'll say the details, but it wasn't pretty. And when I had Grisdor Marathon in February, which again was my last kind of race as such, And that went pretty well. like I had got to the point when I was come to be having 70 to 80 grams an hour, which I've never hit before.
00:29:16
Alex Staniforth
um And it feels like a lot of food. But that was all the pocket rockets by Vooom, which I found actually like something that actually worked for me. um So I'll be using a similar approach to this, but obviously I can't live off bars for, you know, nearly 50 days. So it'll be a combination of that as well as a lot of you know real food because I'm going slowly.
00:29:37
Alex Staniforth
um
00:29:37
UKRunChat
yeah
00:29:38
Alex Staniforth
So I can tolerate a lot more, but I've been working with a sports ah sports ah diet and sports kind of diets specialist on this as well, who's given me a plan, some guidelines, but for the 446, like I had a look at the plan and I'll be aiming for nearly 7,000 calories a day, which is just to maintain that because i i do um I do burn things very quickly and I've been blessed or perhaps cursed with that very high metabolism.
00:29:54
UKRunChat
yeah wow
00:30:03
Alex Staniforth
So, When I think of challenges in the past, I've lost a lot of weight and I really can't afford to do that. So everything has been planned quite meticulously as well.
Support and Community Involvement
00:30:14
UKRunChat
Yeah. So what, so you mentioned the sports and nutritionist, dietitian there. What, who else do you have on your support team to kind of help you? Cause you can't have done all this alone.
00:30:22
Alex Staniforth
Yeah, of course.
00:30:23
UKRunChat
It's a huge challenge, isn't it? Yeah.
00:30:25
Alex Staniforth
I mean, obviously, like I couldn't have done any of this without you know that people you know having that team around me.
00:30:25
UKRunChat
Yeah.
00:30:29
Alex Staniforth
i think in the past, I've always been very independent. like I train mostly on my own. I run on my own. I have a coach um and Sophie's brilliant. She's based in Spain, but you know she's supporting me now for about three years. and so She manages that side of things.
00:30:44
Alex Staniforth
I'm always saying, so you know I need more hill reps or can I do this? and She's generally very patient, which is much appreciated. I've got a PT well. Vicky, I have my stuff online, so I do it all at home.
00:30:57
Alex Staniforth
you know i've got a pt as well um and vicki i you know have all my stuff kind of done online so i do it all at home but so and don't have a clue when it comes to strength training so having that guidance and that consistency has been really important um when i'm on the road itself like i've got a motorhome uh sponsored for the full thing which is you know such a blessing and i'm very very fortunate to have that for the full length because that will be my combination it will be food it'd be my supplies and i actually saw it yesterday actually um i'm collecting it this weekend and it's an absolute beast uh with jordan's in hall um and
00:31:33
Alex Staniforth
because of that you know because i'm going for such a long time i've got a number of people who are driving that in shifts so i've got my partner harriet's i've got my parents i've got friends and doing various shifts uh across the country so without them i absolutely couldn't do this and um what that allows me to do is just to focus on being an athlete i mean there's always things you have to do but in the past i've tried to wing it and do it very cheaply uh and for a challenge of this scale i can't i can't afford to do that and i've got my friend dan as well as a project manager on this and and dan has a really good background in doing his own challenges and logistics and he's really caught on the detail so um dan will be there kind of in the background for the whole time um which again um i'm very fortunate to have that because it is a blessing but uh i'm gonna need that team people that
00:32:24
Alex Staniforth
people think that actually know us and and and we trust is really important because they're going to see me in some pretty bad states and on the coast to coast, you know, they saw at my very worst and I need to know that they've got my back and they've got my best interests and that they're not afraid to tell me, you know, would give me some some kind of tough love if I need it as well.
00:32:30
UKRunChat
you
00:32:43
UKRunChat
Yeah, what what happens? i mean, you must have had those moments before where you have kind of broken down physically or mentally and felt like you couldn't go on. What what what happens then and how do you get yourself back up and moving again?
00:32:58
Alex Staniforth
I mean, there's there's been lots and lots of things. I mean, on the coast to coast, for example, last year, so I attempted to run the whole thing from St. B's and Robin Hood's Bay because I had to pull out of them know the actual events of the race in April.
00:33:10
UKRunChat
yeah
00:33:13
Alex Staniforth
And, you know, the the first attempt, I had to stop at Kirkby-Steven after 21 hours. um Second time, I stopped after 124 miles um in the middle of the... That was just below the North York Moors.
00:33:26
Alex Staniforth
um and on that particular moment actually like i ah but was I was running on the second night I barely slept um I was having a lot of issues with food and hydration and I don't recall any of this but remember um i remember being in the van and literally i was um was completely hallucinating I was saying all sorts of weird things you know to my partner literally made her cry you know and I have no there's no memory of this whatsoever. um I think it was just the effects of like hallucinations and sleep deprivation on the body.
00:34:03
Alex Staniforth
And that particular moment was actually when I decided to stop because I realized that actually I was so dehydrated and the symptoms I was having, there was just no way that I could continue for another day because I had another 60 miles still to go.
00:34:17
Alex Staniforth
um But remember of I remember on the three peaks run, for example, um I was about five days into that and my shins and everything was that swollen that I could, I could barely run more than 10 meters at a time.
00:34:31
Alex Staniforth
And, you know, I had sponsors emailing me telling me to stop. You know, they said, we're worried about your progress. You know, you're not going to make it in record time. Why not just go home and try again some the time, which is, you know, sound advice.
00:34:44
Alex Staniforth
um And when I thought I couldn't go on, you know, it was simply that mindset shift as well. And also, so much can change in a day in a week, you know, and how are you feeling like right now in this moment in that race or on that challenge or whatever, like, doesn't mean you're going to feel like that in an hour or in a week or, you know, next year.
00:35:06
Alex Staniforth
I always said to myself that like this too shall pass, you know, don't make any big decisions like right now, cause you're having a bad moment. Like it doesn't always get worse. Um, And often it's somebody turning up at the right moment, you know, coming and joining you.
00:35:20
Alex Staniforth
So had Angela who came yeah who joined me in Carlisle and just walked alongside me for a few hours in the rain and knowing that someone's there with you, you kind of can't give up. um I then had a friend who then met met me kind of north of the lakes.
00:35:33
Alex Staniforth
He gave me a lift ahead to sports massage, gave me some chips and a hot bath. My mum brought me some ah brand new shoes and next thing, well, the the next day I ran 45 miles, you know, and but I didn't think that was possible and the body will adapt, but sometimes you just gotta kind of shake it up and and give it every chance.
00:35:53
Alex Staniforth
And, you know, if not for those people coming at the right moment, changing that perspective, like i wouldn't have got wrapped, you know, I wouldn't go around to it and on the free peaks, ended up falling asleep in the bus stop, you know, because on the last night, my dad had to take me to a friend's in Betsy Coed,
00:36:11
Alex Staniforth
I had about two hours sleep. He then drove me back to where I'd, so you know, sort stopped the night before. I thought I didn't need sleep. I thought i could just kind of push through the night in one final four to six miles. um And yeah, I fell asleep in a bus stop, you know. And how did I get through that?
00:36:27
Alex Staniforth
It was literally just one foot in front of the other. That's all you have to do. But even that was hard. Yeah.
00:36:32
UKRunChat
Yeah.
00:36:34
Alex Staniforth
so yeah i think as well on the coast to coast my coach um was kind of there in the background on whatsapp and i was saying you know i'm struggling with you know i'm feeling really sick and dizzy and they're dehydrated and she'll give me some advice or some suggestions and and that can change everything but sometimes you just need to get a message from her or somebody you know to say you know you know keep moving you've got this you know and she always said to me that uh you know you can do hard things
00:36:50
UKRunChat
no
00:37:02
Alex Staniforth
And sometimes i just say that bunch of mantra in my head, you know, you can do hard things. I've got this. And before you know it, you're flying again.
00:37:11
UKRunChat
Yeah, no, that's that's brilliant. I have a lot of admiration for you, Alex. I think it's wonderful what you're attempting. and Will you have people joining you on sections of this challenge or is it very much a solo adventure?
00:37:25
Alex Staniforth
Yeah, thank you. I think I'm definitely keen to encourage people to join me because that's what raises awareness of the cause and the message and already have got quite a lot of people who are joining the uncertain piece. There is a challenge with this because there is a time element and because it's quite tight, you know, I've got some really big days and I don't want to be arriving late because then it has a knock on effect.
00:37:43
Alex Staniforth
um So what we have done is we've got a form online so people can, you know, see the schedule, see the route, see the tracker and, you know, that allows them to the stages and actually like let us know what their plans are so we can try of try and organize and i guess arrange that.
00:38:00
Alex Staniforth
um So because of my pace, I'm not going to be going at blistering pace because that's not going to be so you know sustainable. um But very much people have to be self-sufficient. you know Some people may want to do a full day with me and there's a lot of big mountain runners and cyclists who are going to join me for a full stage.
00:38:17
Alex Staniforth
um But, you know, there are also some peaks on the schedule where, for example, I've got sponsors or people joining me and that will be a walk um because, you know, making time for that is really important.
00:38:28
Alex Staniforth
And if it's a short walk for a few hours, you know, it's not going to, it's not going to, you know, it's not going cause problems or compromise me. So definitely have a look on the schedule. um There is a form again, which will be on my site shortly where people can see the schedule and sign up as well.
00:38:44
Alex Staniforth
and um definitely like although I will be running solo a lot of it i mean I'm absolutely goingnna need that moral support and we want as many people as possible on the final day on Helvellyn in the Lake District because that would be really special um so in principle yes um the last couple of days are quite complicated because basically I wanted Helvellyn to be my final peak
00:38:58
UKRunChat
Yeah. Which routine taking on Helvalin?
00:39:08
UKRunChat
Yeah.
00:39:08
Alex Staniforth
um but actually I have to actually tick off a couple more on the way down. So I'm going to go and up from Patterdale and there's like three circular routes that kind of start and finish in Patterdale it's quite a nice finish actually but I'll be going up onto St.
00:39:15
UKRunChat
Yeah.
00:39:24
Alex Staniforth
Sundy Crag to Birx and then I'll be going down the coal below Fairfield and then up onto I think the Dolly Wagon net most and then finish on Hellbellyn and then come down Swirrell Edge and then I have to go back up and take off Shriding Edge, Catstoke Camp, Burkhals Moor and then I'll finish back in.
00:39:33
UKRunChat
yeah
00:39:37
UKRunChat
oh okay i've also got to do kind of a little loop on the top as well to finish off yeah
00:39:46
Alex Staniforth
Yeah, we were really struggling to make it work and you know we were kind of playing around with it but some I mean on logistics actually finishing there, like finishing there felt like the easiest thing to do um and then that way we've kind of got ah two routes in place so for people that want to join me but don't want to actually run there is a shorter option going up the Grisedale Valley um and then they can join us on that last section and then come down come down i think sticks past actually so we don't want ah you know if people aren't comfortable or the conditions aren't right I don't want anybody coming down the edges with me because I'm you know I'm confident doing that but I definitely don't want anybody to get hurt
00:40:18
UKRunChat
Yeah.
00:40:25
UKRunChat
No, no.
00:40:26
Alex Staniforth
And very much on the schedule, you know, some people saying like, ah okay, you know, I might be able to do that one with you, you know, in the P district, for example, the walks are very short. um I can imagine the logistics of this thing that I've been the biggest challenge.
00:40:39
UKRunChat
Yeah. Have you planned all this throughout yourself then? That must have taken forever.
00:40:43
Alex Staniforth
So what took the longest was actually finding the correct peaks, you know, that are up to date that, you know, working out what's been
00:40:49
UKRunChat
Yeah.
00:40:51
Alex Staniforth
you know, deneasured and what's actually like a correct peak and then actually mapping them all and getting all the all the refs and and stats. um So Dan, again, has been a godsend to this. You know, Dan is really hot on logistics and he has painstakingly plotted the entire thing um in Komoot.
00:41:07
Alex Staniforth
And then we've got all the, you know, all that's been cross-checked, you know, by Harriet, my partner. So she's gone through all 446 peaks, cross-checked them on OS maps to make sure that I'm hitting the actual correct peak and then that you know that file will be exported the Coros watch, and then that'll be how we navigate on the hill.
00:41:25
Alex Staniforth
um But Dan has done all the spreadsheets and legwork, which I'm very, very grateful for.
00:41:31
UKRunChat
Yeah, you're very lucky to have him by the sounds of it. Yeah, that sounds like a huge job.
00:41:36
Alex Staniforth
Yeah, it's it's taken a while.
00:41:37
UKRunChat
Yeah.
00:41:38
Alex Staniforth
It's taken long, and I think we anticipated.
Final Preparations and Social Media Updates
00:41:40
Alex Staniforth
But so know now we're, it feels like we're pretty much on top of it.
00:41:40
UKRunChat
yeah
00:41:44
Alex Staniforth
But the time before a challenge, I'm sure it's the same for any race or marathon. you know is this kind of grey area where you're like paranoid about everything. you know it's It's a really uncomfortable, kind of like nervous place to be.
00:41:57
UKRunChat
Yeah, so we're recording the week before your challenge starts. What does this week look like for you then the leadup
00:42:04
Alex Staniforth
I mean, I was doing a hill rep session yesterday and I was thinking to myself, like, why am I doing this? I'm just knackering myself. I need a solid week because actually I might regret not having more time off once I hit the bike.
00:42:17
Alex Staniforth
um because there's not much I can do now that's going to really make an impact on my training. I just need to get myself you know stretched out and loose and relaxed. um But I have got a couple of more bike rides because I've not done as much on a bike as I would have liked.
00:42:31
Alex Staniforth
um So I'll be on the bike this evening for probably 30, 35 miles, same again tomorrow. um We've got to collect the motorhome on Saturday in Hall, so we've got to drive that back, get them get all the food bought, all the kit, all the final bits. I've got some more kit on the way.
00:42:47
Alex Staniforth
um So we do kind of kit label that at some point as well.
00:42:47
UKRunChat
Thank you.
00:42:50
Alex Staniforth
um Final logistics, you know, PR ah stuff as well, fundraising, got email responses today as well, because we've raised about 14,000 pounds so far, which has been a really good start given that fundraising is so challenging at the moment.
00:43:04
Alex Staniforth
So to get that at this stage is a nice boost. um Basically a lot of emails and lots of messages and emails. Tombsonawson, didn't think you needed to do, but suddenly emerge and then we'll be heading down to dartmoor on Thursday afternoon so i've got i've got a talk in the morning.
00:43:21
Alex Staniforth
Steve Tombsonawson, once you won't want to finish that will be having lunch then we'll be getting on the road from kendall down to dartmoor where I start on the Friday 16th morning.
00:43:30
UKRunChat
Yeah, brilliant. And where will you be keeping people dated of progress on your social media?
00:43:36
Alex Staniforth
Yeah, so Instagram will be the main place. I've got a live tracker through 060, which will be shared on social media um on my you know on my site as well. There is a link on there to my schedule.
00:43:47
Alex Staniforth
So again, people can kind of see the form, just really just to let us know like where they may want to join us. And then therefore we can obviously, you know, talk to them and have it all updated because inevitably on this thing, you know, schedules change.
00:43:59
Alex Staniforth
out and That will will be on the on the site and social media as well. um And the JustGiving page is on there. But that's JustGiving.com slash page slash 446challenge as well. And any support is always appreciated.
00:44:12
UKRunChat
Yeah, well well, we'll pop those links in the show notes um so that if anybody does want to follow Alex's journey or support the challenge in any way um ahll ah'll donate some cash or get involved as sponsors, you never know, do you?
00:44:24
UKRunChat
and Yeah, you can you can have a look in there. So do check those out. Thank you so much, Alex. And I wish you all the very best with your huge challenge. Perhaps you can come on afterwards and tell us how it all went.
00:44:33
Alex Staniforth
Thank you.
00:44:37
Alex Staniforth
I'll be sure. I think i'll I'll definitely have a few stories and, you know, and if I make it or not, I don't know, this is when all the doubts come in, but I think if we set the bar high enough, then that happens is we, you know, is we either do it or we learn something.
00:44:48
Alex Staniforth
So I'd love to come and talk more about that. And I may be having a few months off, but so hopefully back on the big events and races in the autumn as well.
00:44:55
UKRunChat
Yeah, yeah.
00:44:55
Alex Staniforth
yeah
00:44:56
UKRunChat
Feet up for summer, no doubt. That sounds good.
00:44:58
Alex Staniforth
Definitely. But it's been a pleasure, you know, but thanks for having us on.
00:45:02
UKRunChat
Yeah, ah thanks so much. Well, we hope everybody out there listening has enjoyed this episode today. And thanks again to Alex Staniforth for joining us.