07 Oct 2024by Sarah Dennis
With just a week to go before a team of hardened athletes from Unique Vacations UK tackle the four-day Sandals Island Challenge in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, the excitement – and mental preparation – is already well under way.
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is the scene of the latest Sandals Island Challenge (Credit: Sandals and Beaches Resorts)
The team, which including four Sandals staff and other volunteers, is just a few hundred pounds away (at time of publication) from its £100,000 target, but donations are always welcome, with last year’s Island Run in Antigua bolting past the six figures.
Sandals Island Challenge participants will run, kayak and hike to the summit of the active La Soufriere volcano in Saint Vincent. In total, 50 miles will be covered across four days starting Friday (11 October).
Money raised from the challenge will help fund paediatric healthcare services and equipment at the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital, and other local healthcare facilities, to support children in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
Island Challenge 2024 follows the success of Sandals Island Run Antigua 2023, which saw a 16-strong team tackle 100km of running across four days. More than £102,000 was raised through the event to support child healthcare facilities in Antigua as part of the work of the Sandals Foundation.
To find out more and donate to The Sandals Foundation Island Challenge 2024, visit the Just Giving Page.
Four Island Challenge participants from Unique Vacations UK, Sandals and Beaches Resorts’ sales and marketing representatives, told TTG about their reasons for taking up the challenge, how they are staying motivated – and the support they are seeing from the travel industry and beyond.
‘Events like this shine a spotlight on travel’s good eggs’
Knowing I’m doing the challenge for a worthy cause has helped me stay motivated. I’ve been finding out more about the valuable work of the Sandals Foundation and how the money we’re raising will help make a difference to children’s lives in Saint Vincent.
I’ve also had friends and family join me on some of my longer runs, and roped in some to keep me company during gym sessions. The support from my family, friends and colleagues has been invaluable.
I haven’t always been a natural runner, but accepting my place in the London Marathon this year has changed my outlook. I started a plan with an app called ‘Runna’ and I’ve been going to the gym and having regular PT sessions for body strength and conditioning in preparation for all aspects of this challenge.
One of the biggest challenges will be the elevation during the three days of running. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is hilly and volcanic, which isn’t something I’m used to.
The uncertainty of what the ocean current will be like when we’re kayaking will be a big challenge as we can’t really prepare for it. Recovering between the activities will also be hard as it’s four days back-to-back of pretty strenuous activity.
Travel is a great industry to work in. Everyone is friendly and supportive of each other and events like this highlight that even more. There are so many “good eggs”.
The fact there’s a small group of people doing this crazy challenge to achieve the same goal has created a great sense of camaraderie, which will help us when we’re out there doing it – especially when the times get tough.
Paige Flockhart, senior marketing executive.
‘This year’s challenge will test us in other ways’
It’s all about the preparation and training. While the training and the event itself will be extremely hard mentally and physically, it’s important to remember the reasons we’re taking on this challenge when the tough times inevitably come.
This year’s challenge will be different as we are including a brand new sport – sea kayaking. The challenge won’t be as strenuous on our legs as last year, but it will test us in other ways. We have some really tough hills to conquer in Saint Vincent, not to mention an active volcano!
Refuelling will be key as we’ll consume a lot of energy, with 11 kilometres of sea kayaking followed by a 15 kilometre run on two days, back-to-back. The heat and humidity in the Caribbean will also be a challenge.
After last year’s event, I took a month off before training for the Manchester marathon in April followed by an ultra-marathon in June. I tweaked my training a bit to try to keep in shape. It’s been a case of training hard, recovering well and allowing myself a few indulgences as rewards. Thinking back to the reason why we’re doing this challenge – to raise money for children in the Caribbean – is also a big motivator.
It feels right for us to be giving back to the communities we operate in. The monies raised will go to help so many causes on the islands that it will have positive generational impacts.
Seeing the difference we made to children’s lives in Antigua with the equipment that the Sandals Foundation was able to buy for the paediatric unit was heartening. Our sponsors and partners have been extremely generous, and we’ve got a team of athletes that are excited to tackle this challenge head on.
Graeme Saunders, senior manager, groups and MICE.
‘The challenge has brought a global community together’
I’ve been training since June and have been trying to run at least three times a week. I’ve incorporated some strength training sessions to help me train for the hills and the kayaking. Paige and I have even gone kayaking together on Regent’s Canal, although that’s probably not quite the same as kayaking on the Caribbean Sea!
We heard first-hand from those who took part in the Island Run about the impact it had, so it’s hugely motivating to know the money we’re raising will make a tangible difference to beneficiaries in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
From a personal development standpoint, seeing the improvements I’ve made throughout training has also kept me motivated. From never running more than 10 kilometres to now having run several half-marathons, it’s rewarding to see the training pay off and I’m excited to (hopefully) be able to say I’ve completed the challenge.
I’ve been told the total elevation of one of the runs is taller than the Shard so I think that is certainly up there as one of the biggest challenges! Then, just dealing with the heat and the humidity – that’s something I couldn’t really train for with the summer we had in the UK this year.
Seeing how many people have been keen to support the challenge highlights the strong community we have. Whether taking part, donating to the cause or sharing content, so many people have got involved to spread the word and raise funds. With participants and sponsors from around the world, the challenge has helped to bring a global community together.
There are times when you don’t feel like training or think you’re not going to be able to complete the challenge, but you just need to remember why you signed up in the first place.
Jess Brown, digital marketing manager.
‘I’m looking forward to having locals involved’
The whole team feels an enormous sense of responsibility. We’re raising money for such an important cause. I am naturally self-motivated, but having my friends, family and colleagues cheering me on has definitely helped, as well as thinking about the children who will benefit.
The backing we’ve had is the same – if not more – than last year which is incredible. Four of us from Unique Vacations UK are tackling the challenge, but the support from everyone in the business has been outstanding. We’re also hugely grateful for the support of our partners, including TTG, for helping us raise awareness.
It’s not just people in travel; we’ve had words of encouragement and generous sponsorship from all sectors. There’s a real sense of community within the UK team and with others involved in organising on the island, from the coast guard to the resort team and even the ministry of health.
I am really looking forward to having local participants involved. This year, each participant from the UK will have a local “buddy” with them for all four days. On day three, the half marathon around Saint Vincent’s mainland, there will be a community event held on the old airport runway for local people to attend. It will be a family fun day organised by the ministry of health and supported by the Sandals Foundation to educate young people about sports and encourage them to keep active.
The unknown is the most daunting part, as it’s a very different event to Island Run – Antigua 2023. I haven’t done much sea kayaking before, especially over such long distances. We won’t know much about the coastal conditions each day, especially the waves, current and wind. When I visited Saint Vincent and the Grenadines for a recce, I hiked up the volcano, La Soufriere, so I know that’s achievable.
This will be a physically and mentally demanding challenge for me, but it’ll be worth it.
Karl Thompson, managing director.
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Publish date : 2024-10-06 23:05:00
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