“Dad recently had Mountbatten support him at home. Once that care touches your family, you realise just how important it is,” said Kemp Price, one of three men to complete an epic 100-mile triathlon, which raised over £11,000 for Mountbatten Isle of Wight.
On Saturday, 11th July, Sam Tyson, and brothers Kemp and Aiden Price swam, cycled and ran 100 miles for The Wight 100 Miles. Aiden lives abroad and flew in specially to take part.
By the time they popped into Mountbatten Isle of Wight this month (August), to present their giant cheque, the triathlon challenge had raised an amazing £11, 437.75 including Gift Aid!
Swim, cycle and run around the Island
A two-mile ‘pier-to-pier’ sea swim, from Sandown to Shanklin, was followed by a gruelling 70-mile cycle around the Island’s coastline and a 28-mile run, following the iconic Walk the Wight route with a little bit extra added in.
‘The heat was a lot harder than we thought’
It was, then, to be expected that Kemp, Sam and Aiden’s reaction to finishing their challenge was they were ‘feeling tired’. Thanking Fergie and Loz for pedalling alongside them, they said,
“The heat was a lot harder on the run than we thought. It was nasty and difficult to find shade. The swim went well, but it was a lot choppier than we thought. The bike was good. We had some friends jump in, which helped massively.”
The longest 500 metres in the world
After they crossed the Freshwater Bay finish line, Kemp, Sam and Aiden joked,
“Finishing was the best part.
“We had peaks and troughs. Then we got a second wind – or probably a fifth wind, at that point! The amount we’ve raised was a massive motivator. The last stretch was the longest 500 metres in the world, though.”
Why they chose an ultramarathon distance
Ensuring their challenge reached the official ultramarathon distance, Sam, Kemp and Aiden had set out to ensure their challenge was a memorable one. Sam said,
“People don’t have money to spare right now, so we knew it had to be something significant.
“Lots of people have cycled around the Island or completed Walk the Wight on their own, and they know how hard those are individually.”
Island businesses behind the challenge
Aiden, Kemp and Sam’s efforts were supported by businesses including Sandown’s Beach Buoys Watersports, The Recovery Room Isle of Wight, Freshwater’s Hill Farm Stables, Calbourne architects Modh Design, meal prep services Macros in Sandown and London-based Plentifull, SJT Construction in Ryde, and specialist coaching from The Tri Guys.
News shared by Lucy on behalf of Mountbatten. Ed
