lofty goals

Remember that crazy bunch of Tˆy Hafan dads who decided to strip off in the depths of winter on Sully beach so that they could make a calendar to sell and raise money for the charity that supports them?

And the dads who thought that climbing the highest peaks in Scotland, England and Wales, as well as tacking on another couple of Welsh mountains on their way, all in 55 hours? They even won a JustGiving award for that one!

Well they’re at it again! And this time they’re going to push themselves a little bit!

Still on the climbing theme but with a twist, between 2 and 4 July 2020, a team will climb ten Welsh mountains before cycling 52 miles from Brecon to Cardiff along the Taff Trail, again, all to be done in a maximum of 55 hours, in a challenge called #10nTaff.

The schedule for the #10nTaff is brutal. After driving up to North Wales on Wednesday 1 July, the team prepare themselves for three days of almost non-stop physical exertion.

1. Carnedd Llewellyn (Carneddau Range): Elevation – 1,064m (3rd highest in Wales)

2. Carnedd Dafydd (Carneddau Range): Elevation – 1,044m (4th highest in Wales)

3. Glyder Fawr (Glyderau Range): Elevation – 1,001m (5th highest in Wales)

4. Garnedd Ugain (Snowdon Massif): Elevation – 1,065m (2nd highest in Wales)

5. Snowdon (Snowdon Massif): Elevation – 1,085m (Highest in Wales)

Late in the evening of day one, the team is driven down to the Black Mountains in west Wales. After a few hours rest, at dawn on 3 July (day two) they begin their assault on the five highest mountains in the Brecon Beacons.

1. Fan Brydeiniog (Black Mountains): Elevation – 802m

2. Fan Hir (Black Mountains): Elevation – 761m

3. Waun Rydd (Central Brecon Beacons): Elevation – 769m

4. Pen-y-Fan (Central Brecon Beacons): Elevation – 886m

5. Cribyn (Central Brecon Beacons): Elevation – 795m At dawn on 4 July (day three), the team will start the seven-hour, 52-mile cycle ride from Brecon to Cardiff Bay along the Taff Trail.

“The schedule means that sleep may be limited to the minibus on the night of day one,” said participant, Chris. “With such early starts and late finishes, sleep deprivation could be an issue.”

Five years ago, Chris and Clair’s daughter Scarlett was born struggling to breathe and was rushed to intensive care. After a few weeks, Scarlett was diagnosed with a rare life-limiting chromosome disorder that resulted in Scarlett having a number of complex conditions such as epilepsy, a hole in her heart, scoliosis of the spine, kidney problems and muscle atrophy of her brain.

“As you can imagine, our whole world came crashing down around us,” explained Chris. “At this point, Tˆy Hafan came into our lives giving us the help and support we needed on our amazing journey as a family.”

We want to wish the #10nTaff group the greatest of well wishes when they take on this challenge. Their strength and determination to go that extra step to help raise both funds for and awareness of T ˆy Hafan is incredible. If you’d like to hear more or to support the team, please visit their JustGiving page at: justgiving.com/companyteams/10nTaff