John Townsend

*PLEASE NOTE THAT MY WEB PLAYER IS OFFLINE*

I love pushing myself physically and mentally, because it's there that I find out the most interesting things about myself, this helps me to learn and grow into the person and athlete I'd love to become. I believe that it is through challenging ourselves that we stretch our limits, break down barriers and realise we can achieve far more than we think.

On Monday 22nd July 2019, I decide to restart my training, after having a year off, due to heart & knee problems. To keep myself on track, I make sure I always have several events in the pipeline, as you can see below. 
 

London Bridges Challenge (September 2019)

This year my wife is doing 40 challenges before she is 40, on Sunday 29 September she will be doing the London Bridges Challenge. I have decided to join her, the event is in aid of Diabetes UK. We will walk 10 miles, cross 12 of London's finest bridges and join the fight for a world where diabetes can do no harm.


There is no minimum sponsorship requirement, so I have set myself a target that feels achievable, a target of £120, that’s just £10 per bridge. The easiest way for me to collect sponsorship is to do it via a Just Giving page (CLICK HERE), this way you can make a quick, safe online donation to support my challenge. The money I raise will then transfer straight to Diabetes UK.

The Trains Pennine Trail - Southport 2 Hornsea (January 2020)

I absolutely love cycling this route, I have done it many times before, but never for fun. Every time I have ridden this route, the aim was to get from A-B as fast as possible. This time around, I want to take my time and do it over two days.  The Trans Pennine Trail (TPT) is an exciting route for cyclists, linking the North and Irish seas, passing through the Pennines, alongside rivers and canals and through some of the most historic towns and cities in the North of England. You can view my route below.


Day 1.  https://www.strava.com/routes/20313891

Day 2.  https://www.strava.com/routes/20315860

London Bridge 2 Humber Bridge 24 Hour Challenge (April 2020)

I have completed this route before, but last time nearly killed me. This time I want to do it faster & more efficient, this route will be the perfect test of my fitness, ready for my epic National Three Peaks Challenge. It will also allow me to test out my bike and kit set up.


I have set this route up on my Strava account, as a running event, as it will take me more of road, and on to more dirt roads and running tracks, allowing my bike to have a full work out. This will be a good test for when I hit Scotland, as I've been informed that I need to be ready for anything. You can view my route below.


1.  https://www.strava.com/routes/20307434

Summer Madness (May 2020)

I'm calling this adventure summer madness because, well you will see. Like most people, I get very limited holiday time. With two routes on my mind, I couldn't decided which one to undertake. So in the end, I decided to do both. I will be taking on the M25 Cycle Route, before heading to Scotland on the over night train, to take on The North Coast 500. 


Both routes are still fairly new, I did attempt the M25 once and for the first time ever, failed a challenge. So I need to complete this adventure, before it beats me forever. The North coast 500, is one of the world’s most iconic coastal touring routes. You can view my routes below. 


M25.  https://www.strava.com/routes/20318970


The North Coast 500.  https://www.strava.com/routes/20319032

National Three Peaks Challenge (August 2020)

The National Three Peaks Challenge involves climbing the three highest peaks of Scotland, England and Wales, often within 24 hours, but who wants to make life that easy, myself and my cycling partner Barry Steward, definitely won't be finishing in 24 hours, as we will be cycling from Atik Nightclub, Hull, East Yorkshire, to all three peaks, and back, a grand total of 1015 miles. 

Sounds like fun right! We aim to finish the route in 10 days, taking on around 100 miles a day, as well as climbing Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike & Snowdon. This is going to be one of the biggest challenges I've ever taken on, for one I hate walking at the best of times, let alone, climbing mountains. You can view our routes below.

My Training Schedule