CARE 24 Peaks post-event report

CARE 24 Peaks Challenge 2007

On the weekend of 16-17 June 12 teams from around the UK gathered in the Lake District to take on the toughest event of the CARE Challenge Series season: conquering 24 peaks in 24 hours. Besides the amazing achievement of completing this demanding challenge, teams raised a fantastic £95,000 that will go directly to support the work of CARE International overseas.

With hope of better conditions than last year – where for the first time ever we were forced to cancel this event due to extreme weather conditions and call walkers off the mountains - teams arrived at the start point in good spirits considering the early start.  It was a wet beginning to the event, but the winds held off and all teams were briefed and waved off by their support crew to tackle the first peak, Red Pike.

With 10 peaks to tackle in day one, including England’s highest - Scafell Pike (978m), and a target of 14 hours to complete the route, the challenge was on.  The conditions were variable with fog making navigation difficult for teams. The CARE team were on hand over the radio and mountain marshals were placed along the route to ensure teams’ safety. This also gave them someone to say hello to along the way! Unfortunately there were no blue skies on this occasion, but the fog did clear every now and then to allow them to enjoy some of the stunning views and scenery across the Lake District.

This event saw great inter-team spirit; a special mention must go to team “Trade” from Exponent for adopting lone walkers, whose team mates had to retire, so they could complete the event!

Day one finished with big cheers for teams as they finished their descent of Bowfell, completing the route of day one, an achievement in itself.  All teams were off the mountains by 10pm and it was straight to the accommodation for some hot food and a short rest before another early rise for day two.

The first peak on Sunday, Red Screes, was an extremely tough ascent for everyone considering the exertions of Saturday. CARE Challenge staff and volunteers were on hand at various points to guide teams up the mountain and get their first summit of the day under their belts. All were in amazingly good spirits despite the foggy conditions, even managing a joke or two with the marshals on the way! With 14 peaks to go and a target of 10 hours to complete, every reserve of energy and stamina was mustered by all the walkers. 7 out of the finishing 11 teams completed the challenge within 24 hours and all were greeted with huge cheers and congratulations from CARE Challenge staff, volunteers and support crew at the finish line after their final descent of Great Dodd.

Aching limbs and blisters seemed to be forgotten as teams, support crew, CARE Challenge staff and volunteers celebrated the achievements of the weekend at the reception. There were some great dance routines for everyone’s enjoyment and some were still showing off their moves into the early hours!

There are some special mentions that need to be made, firstly to Lexicon Partners who were our top fundraisers, bringing in an amazing £42,000 for CARE International’s development work. Then we had some record breakers on the event.  Compeed (team India) completed the event in an unbelievable 16hrs 19mins, which is the fastest time ever for the 24 Peaks!  They were closely followed by First Title Group (team Food) who finished in an extremely respectable time of 18hrs 56mins.

CARE Challenge Event Manager, Neil Munro, said:

“We’re delighted with the success of this year’s 24 Peaks Challenge, one of our toughest events. Despite pushing their physical boundaries right to the limit, all teams worked together and team spirit was fantastic – which is what these events are all about! Thanks to the support of our sponsor, First Title, and the efforts of participating teams, this event well exceeded our fundraising expectations, at £95,000. Congratulations and sincere thanks to everyone for taking part and making this such a memorable event. We look forward to seeing you back on the mountains next year”.

In the meantime, please don’t hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions about CARE or our upcoming CARE Challenge Events.

Don’t forget you can relive those memorable moments from the weekend by ordering your team photos by visiting our photo gallery 

Anyone who did not receive a commemorative medal and T-shirt (support crew included) at the end of the event, please email the  This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it  and we will arrange for them to be sent to you!

CARE 24 Peaks Challenge 16 - 17 June 2007 Results

		Individual Team Times		Total Time
Team Name	Call-sign	Day 1	Day 2
Compeed	India	10:27	05:52	16:19
First Title Group	Food	11:29	07:27	18:56
Phoenix Equity	Health	13:01	08:48	21:49
Emunio Consulting	Water	13:28	08:44	22:12
Leisure Link	Business	13:44	08:59	22:43
Lexicon Partners Team 2	Justice	14:31	08:15	22:46
Taylor Woodrow Plc	Farming	14:35	09:16	23:51
Opus Team 1	Urban	15:05	09:14	24:19
Royal Bank of Scotland	Market	15:43	09:40	25:23
Exponent	Trade	15:02	10:29	25:31
Opus Team 2	Education	16:05	10:23	26:28