The lockdown might have left plenty of Britons ready to scale their walls in frustration, but runner John Griffin has put his pent-up energy to better use: by climbing the height of Mount Everest up his staircase.
It took Griffin four days to climb 41,000 steps at his three-story house in West Sussex, England, equivalent to the 8,850m that the world’s highest mountain measures.
His effort has so far raised ￡3,500 (US$4,366) for the Trussell Trust, a charity that supports more than 1,200 food banks.
Photo: Reuters
“As a result of the coronavirus panic, people have been stealing food [collected in supermarkets] and so this charity had its input of food effectively cut off,” the 53-year-old said.
Using a computer programmed by his neighbor to track his progress, he almost came unstuck on day three when his knee began to hurt, but he took his wife’s advice and taped frozen peas to it, which enabled him to push on, finally reaching the “summit” after 29 hours of “climbing.”
His family, including dog Houndslow, were waiting on the rooftop terrace when he ran up the stairs for the final time.
Unfortunately, due to social distancing, they were the only people there, Griffin said.
“Carb loading was absolutely essential,” he added. “I was probably burning about 6,500 calories per day.”
“[Now] I’m going to swim the English Channel in my bathtub,” he said, laughing.
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