Alistair’s peak practice
SNAP Supporter Alistair Newlands’ bid to fundraise for the charity will see him reach the top of Europe this September.
19th July 2017

Keen marathon runner Alistair will be completing the Jungfrau Marathon in Switzerland, a popular but gruelling race that sees athletes climbing 5,960 feet from the base at Interlaken to the finish line at Kleine Scheidegg mountain pass. The race is uphill more or less all the way, and Alistair is well aware of the challenge he is taking on – he took part last year!
“It is regarded as one of the highest and most beautiful marathons in the world,” says Alistair. “The last 20 kilometres ascent is very challenging, however the views of the north face of the Eiger are awe inspiring. The higher you go the worse the footing becomes and you eventually encounter a goat trail which is very uneven terrain so you have to tread carefully and keep your focus.”
Alistair was motivated to fundraise in this way for SNAP after attending the charity’s 10th Birthday of The SNAP Centre Open Day in May.
“I was actually just visiting the surgery next door, where I was being treated for a running injury (!), when I realised the charity was having an Open Day and decided to have a look. I was immediately so impressed with the centre and how it has evolved since its inception. As I run past the centre most days, the fact that this a local charity and combined with my inspirational visit – my mind was set that I would run for SNAP.”
Alistair has now chalked up 2,000 miles in the last two years, and is maintaining a strict exercise routine in the lead up the event.
“In a week I normally run three times including a hill session of about 10 miles, and a slow run of about 10-20 miles at the end of the week, plus strengthening sessions in the gym. My best London Marathon time is three hours and 20 minutes, but you normally add about two hours for this challenge meaning I hope to achieve a time of around five hours and 15 minutes. Last year I was five minutes over this so any improvement this year will be a bonus. I came 100th out of 5,500 runners so let’s hope I can at least do that again.”
As Alistair crosses the finishing line he can look forward to being presented with a cold pint of beer and a German Bratwurst by the organisers, but he hopes for a greater reward; raising a big amount of money for SNAP.
“At the moment I have just asked my immediate group of friends, but I will be contacting the local newspaper and spreading the message on social media nearer the time. SNAP is a fantastic charity that supports families throughout the whole of Essex and I’m hoping I can really help make that difference with my fundraising.”
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