On a very cold Sunday 18th March 2012 Clowns in the Sky reached Kilimanjaro, with a little help for one man, Ian matheson.
a few words from a very special man…..
A few years ago, I listened to someone talk about their climb of Mount Kilimanjaro and I thought, “I’d like to do that” then Chris Moyles, Cheryl Cole and others did it for Comic Relief and I thought “I know I can do that”. I decided to go for it this year and it was so natural to do it for Clowns. Although I’m not a fitness freak I felt with some training I’d be all set. The biggest challenge would be the altitude and risk of altitude sickness which you can’t train for. For 8 weeks I was a regular in the gym and I walked everywhere, particularly if it was uphill!
The climb was done over 7 days through humid rain forest then barren volcanic moonscapes. It was so much tougher than I’d expected and I really should have spent more time on the Stairmaster in the gym. But I made it! I reached the summit, Uhuru Peak, at 6.20 am on Sunday 18th March after a 6 hour climb, starting at midnight and climbing in temperatures as low as -15⁰ C. Towards the summit the air was so thin I was hyperventilating to breath in enough oxygen for the physical effort.
Thank you Ian, your personal effort has raised over £1.9k in sponsorship so far, your climb to the top has helped us to make the journery a child takes when suffering with a brain tumour, just a little easier.
with heartfelt thanks
Clowns in the Sky
