Five simultaneous endurance events, five teams, twenty five different characters, one thousand, eight hundred and ten kilometres of hard slog – all for one common cause!
The Nivea 5×5 Challenge, which takes place on the 19th and 20th September, is the culmination of months of dedication, commitment and hard training by the twenty five individuals. Their aim is to raise €100,000 in aid of The Ladybird Foundation.
These twenty five ordinary people, and all those who support them through their donations, will help fulfil the dreams of the critically, terminally or seriously ill children supported by the Foundation – whether by sending them to watch their favourite football team play, to meet their beloved Disney characters, or to spend precious quality time with their families in a special setting.
Due to forecasted adverse weather conditions, the sea challenges will take place on Saturday 19th September.
The Kayak – 75kms
The Kayakers will go all the way round Malta, a distance of 75km. That means approximately 14 hrs of non-stop paddling, and for many hours, they will be fully exposed to the winds and currents coming from the open sea.
THE KAYAK – FAST FACTS
ON THE DAY OF THE EVENT ITSELF, THE KAYAKERS WILL DIG THEIR PADDLES INTO THE WATER OVER 50,000 TIMES
The Swim – 16kms
Any open water swim of 10km or more is defined as a marathon, so our swimmers will be doing more than a marathon and a half as they make their way from Ghadira all the way to St Julian’s, hopefully in a time of around 6hrs.
THE SWIM – FAST FACTS
DURING THEIR PREPARATIONS THE SWIMMERS HAVE SWUM A DISTANCE EQUIVALENT TO MALTA – POZZALLO ….MORE THAN 4 TIMES OVER!
Sunday 20th September will see the land challenges take place.
The Run – 51kms
The Run, which will start in Mdina, will see the runners cover 51km each, battling the raging sun and their aching legs in their quest to cover this Ultra-marathon distance.
THE RUN – FAST FACTS
THE RUNNERS WILL TRAIN FOR APPROXIMATELY 150 HRS, ENOUGH TIME TO LISTEN TO THE AUDIO BOOK OF WAR AND PEACE…3 TIMES OVER!
The Walk – 45kms
Our hardened walkers, the irrepressible Nannakolas, will trek from Mdina down to the coast and towards St Julian’s for a total of 45km, longer than a full marathon.
THE WALK – FAST FACTS
AS PART OF THEIR TRAINING OUR WALKERS HAVE COVERED A DISTANCE EQUAL TO THAT BETWEEN MALTA AND MILAN
The Cycle – 175kms
Covering 175km on a 27km long island means that our cyclists will have to make quite a few loops, cycling for around 10 hours on their way to the finishing line.
THE CYCLE -FAST FACTS
IN THEIR MONTHS OF TRAINING THE CYCLISTS HAVE PUSHED THOSE PEDALS ROUND AN ESTIMATED 1 MILLION TIMES EACH!
On the day, the athletes will be supported by a team of volunteers working tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure that the athletes are tracked and kept safe, and that the general public is kept updated and encouraged to donate towards this worthy cause.
All five events are timed to end between one and two o’clock in the afternoon of the 20th September 2015 at the Radisson Blu Resort, St Julian’s.
Donations to the Ladybird Foundation (VO/0661) can be made as follows:-
PayPal – http://theladybirdfoundation.org/donate/
Bank Deposits – HSBC 054145941001 or IBAN – MT15MMEB44543000000054145941001
SMS: – 50619289 (each SMS is a donation of €11.65)
More information on the Ladybird Foundation and its work:
Facebook: – https://www.facebook.com/TheLadybirdFoundation?fref=ts
Website:- http://theladybirdfoundation.org/event/nivea-5×5-challenge/
