Ex-Royal Marine's race against time to climb three mountains in 24 hours for a Hartlepool charity

Scott Standing, 32, climbed Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowdon to raise money for the town-based mental health charity MindsForMen/WellnessForWomen.

And he tackled all three on his own even though he faced travel sickness, leg cramps and a fear that he wasn’t going to complete the challenge in the 24-hour time frame.

Afterwards, he told the Hartlepool Mail he ‘really enjoyed it’ but there were challenges along the way.

"At some points I did not think I would make it, especially when I only had four and a half hours for the last mountain and it is supposed to take five and a half.”

Yet Scott did it all within 24 hours and reflected on a great achievement.

Highlights included a nighttime climb on Scafell Pike. “The sky was cloudless and the mountains were silhouetted with the stars above. It was breathtaking,” said Scott.

And he managed Scafell in three hours 55 minutes, even though he’d had travel sickness for most of the journey there from Ben Nevis.

Ben Nevis itself took 4.5 hours but it was ‘red hot, 24 degrees with clear skies’.

The last task was to climb Snowdon and Scott did it within the deadline despite the race against time.

Afterwards, he said, he felt fine although his legs were painful a day after the event. And more challenges lie ahead.

Scott is bidding to do a challenge per month for the rest of 2020 and is considering what his September task should be.

Scott’s hope is to create positivity and active mental health at a time when many people have faced struggles during the lockdown.

He said on social media: “Most of us suffer from some form of mental health issues, be it stress at work or life traumas. This campaign is directed at promoting an active lifestyle in an effort to reduce mental health issues. By following and using the hashtag #ActiveMindHealthyMind I would like to make a trend that gets people active at the same time as raising money for a fantastic charity.”

To support Scott’s ongoing efforts, visit here.

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