Meet Our Supporters – Zack’s Lake District Challenge
Meet Our Supporters – Zack’s Lake District Challenge
In June this year, Zack will take on the Lake District Challenge; an epic 100km Ultra Marathon of tough hills and stunning scenery. We got in touch with Zack to hear a bit more about him, and why he chose to take on this incredible challenge…
Photo: Zack on the Fisherfield Munros this winter
Can you tell us a bit more about yourself?
My name’s Zack, I’m (almost) 33 and I work as a chef in Edinburgh but live in Glasgow. I’m originally from Yorkshire but I was raised in the Scottish Highlands.
Why did you decide to fundraise for Scottish Mountain Rescue?
The main reason is a genuine respect and appreciation for what the teams do. I love being out in the Scottish mountains and I find it essential for my well-being to get out in the hills regularly. The mountains are an intimidating place. The volunteers who go out any time of day and any weather to help people in trouble are truly awe inspiring. I would love to volunteer myself one day.
What inspired you to choose the Lake District Ultra Challenge?
I saw an Instagram post from SMR promoting their fundraising events and very quickly decided I would like to do the Lake District Ultra. For a few years I’ve wanted to do an ultra distance event and see where my limit is. A city marathon or similar style event doesn’t excite me like being able to take part in one within such a beautiful place like the Lake District. The lakes are also a very special place tor me as a kid because I had many holidays there staying in our family caravan and exploring the fells.
What kind of preparation and training are you doing for the event?
The big challenge is to progress with top end strength work as well as ultra endurance and I’m following a program from Omnia Performance to help balance that. It’s fairly intense with 6 to 9 sessions, over 7 to 14 hours a week; A really tough balancing act alongside my fairly physical job! The main goal is getting to the start line knowing that I’ve done everything possible to prepare myself. There’ll be some logistical prep as well, recce the route and where I can access support, trialling all the nutrition and kit before hand.
Photo: Zack works as a Chef in Edinburgh
What is the hardest and the most rewarding thing about the fundraising?
Just to know that I could make a small difference for those who sacrifice their time to help people who could be having the worst day of their lives is rewarding. I’m not the most extroverted person so I think the hardest part will be promoting what I’m going to do. Fundraising really helps with accountability and focus as well though.
Photo: Zack on the summit of Binnein Beag, having done all 10 of the Mamore Munros that day
What’s next for Zack?
First up I’m excited for the warmer weather, longer days and lighter packs. I would love to do more events like this in the future so I’m hoping it’s a real success for me. I’m keen to progress with my strength work in the gym; a double body weight squat and deadlift is the goal.
In the meantime, I plan to do the Loch Mullardoch round of 12 Munros back to back this summer. I’m also recently back from an expedition in the Fisherfields where we only made 2 of the 6 summits due to conditions underfoot so there’s unfinished business there! Lastly I’m working towards my mountain leader qualification so I’m busy logging QMDs.
You can follow Zack’s progress and donate to his Lake District Challenge for Scottish Mountain Rescue on Zack’s fundraising page.
We are very grateful to Zack for taking on this extraordinary challenge to raise money for our volunteer teams. 3 out of 5 rescues are funded by donations from the public, and we are so grateful for our fundraisers who help to power our life-saving service.
If you would like to take on a challenge, we have plenty of fundraising events available to sign up for, including the Lake District Challenge. Please drop us a line at fundraising@scottishmountainrescue.org today.