Dave Horan - Great Wall of China            

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The Wivenhoe Encyclopedia

Dave Horan’s Great Wall of China 100 mile Challenge 
    - October 2007

In October 2007, Dave Horan, one of Wivenhoe's scout leaders, will be undertaking a 100 mile trek along the Great Wall of China. And see Dave's post-walk report at the bottom of this page to find out how much he raised.  

Dave's Mission

Dave's mission for undertaking this challenge consists of 3 parts:

"The first is to raise funds for my local scout group, 1st Wivenhoe Scouts, in which I'm one of the Scout Leaders and my wife, Fran, is the cub scout leader. We have grown from about 40 boys and girls in the past two years to nearly 100 boys and girls. With this also being the 100th anniversary of scouting world wide, walking a 100 miles in 5 days sounds like a mission.

The second is too do something I have always wanted to do. I have travelled a lot with both my job and for pleasure but have always sought out a challenge, and I think this is enough of one.

The third is too have fun and maybe enjoy the trip with blisters or not "hopefully not". I might even extend my trip and go and see the Terracotta Army if I can stand."  For this reason I have paid the costs of the trip from my own pocket so that all the funds I raise will be for scouting. 

Charity Challenge:

Charity Challenge, the company running the challenge, has made the following statement:

David Horan has paid the FULL cost of the expedition, which includes a £100 donation to Wivenhoe Scout & Guide Association (Registered Charity No. 1034400). He has pledged to raise as much sponsorship as possible, every penny of which will go directly to the charity. If you would like to confirm that David Horan is authorised to collect sponsorship money for this event, please call the Charity Challenge office on 020 8557 0000.

The Great Wall of China:

The Great Wall of China was originally constructed to keep out nomadic tribes who raided China's northern frontier. it stretches some 4,500 miles in total.

Dave's trek challenge starts in Jinshanling with a vigorous trek that loops along the mountains either side of the Gubeikou Gateway.

Each day he will trek up 20 miles a day along the stony path, twisting and winding its way along the mountains, interspersed with crumbling watchtowers.

It is demanding but also very rewarding, particularly on a clear day when you can look at the vast and beautiful mountain ranges. Imagination can take you back several centuries to when the wall was the frontline defence of Imperial China.

Dave's Training As you may realise, the Wall is not built on level ground, and a lot of it is up hill and on rough ground. Dave started his training in December by visiting the gym3 times a week, doing on average 15 kms runs on a treadmill. He has also been increasing the incline making it harder every other week. This continue for the first part of 2007.  In this training he has included some weight work to build upper body strength as he will be carrying water and some spare kit. From June, he will start carrying small day sack with about 5 - 10 kilos while running continue to run 20kms and increase the incline. In September he will do some altitude work in Snowdonia but not running as he doesn't want any injuries at this late stage!  In October, he will go to China to undertake the Challenge.

Fund-Raising

Dave is undertaking this challenge because he believes in Scouting, the benefits it brings to youngsters and to society overall. He is keen to see the scouting movement supported, especially in 2007 as it is the 100th anniversary of scouting worldwide. He is going on this trip in October 2007 with people he doesn't know but says "that has never stopped me doing things before"!!!. He has created a web site with lots more information about his challenge, see the link below. 

Click here for Dave's web site, to find out more information about his fund-raising activities and ways in which you can support him in his endeavour to raise money for scouting. 

Contact details: 

David Horan

Address:  Lakeside Lodge, Rectory Hill, Wivenhoe, Essex CO7 9LB

Tel:         01206 823414

Post-Walk Report from Dave In October 2007 I walked 100 miles along the great wall of China. This was spread over 5 days, walking 20 miles per day. Along the journey we visited as many attractions as we could; this included a visit to a local school where we handed out pens, pencils and other materials to be used in the school.  I raised over £1,200 for 1st Wivenhoe Scouts from this event. This money has been used to buy and replace old equipment that gets used over 6 times a year with all the camps that the scouts attend. We have bought 4 new light weight patrol tents, a new 6 x 4 metre mess tent, 5 patrol boxes and dining shelters. These purchases included enough equipment for each patrol to use while camping. All this equipment has been used during 2008 and will be used on the upcoming Essex International Jamboree in July which we will be attending for the first time. Thanks to everyone who helped me raise this money. It has been well used. Dave

For more information about Scouting in Wivenhoe - click here

Last updated:
03 August 2008