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Alex Staniforth

Alex Staniforth

Adversity Adventurer, Motivational Resilience Speaker, Author and Mental Health Activist

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Cycling Chester to Chamonix

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December 31, 2018 by AdversityAdventurer

As part of my Everest training, in August 2014 I decided to cycle 880 miles from Chester to Chamonix, France, in just 7 days self-supported. A few days after arriving I then climbed the Dom – the highest peak entirely in Switzerland.

I lost time and finished in 8 days overall. My eventual itinerary was:

Day 1 – Depart Chester Town hall to YHA Stratford-upon-Avon, 123 miles

Day 2 – YHA Stratford-upon-Avon to Rowlands Castle, Hampshire, 136 miles

Day 3 – Rowlands Castle to Newhaven, sail to Dieppe at 23:00, 80 miles

Day 4 – Arrive Dieppe 04:00, to Compiegne, 103 miles

Day 5 – Compiegne to Auxerre, 137.5 miles

Day 6 – Auxerre to Avallon, 44 miles (disaster!)

Day 7 – Avallon to Lons-le-Saunier, 118 miles

Day 8 – Lons-le-Saunier to Chamonix

  • Miles travelled: 878.41 miles
  • Average pace: 12.4mph
  • Vertical ascent in feet: 27,678ft (Everest is 29,035ft)
  • Hours in the saddle: 68.35 hours
  • Maximum calories in one day: 6,600kcal
  • Weight of panniers: Approx 10kg (bike 8.71kg)
  • Biggest ascent in one day: 9,744ft
  • Countries travelled through: 3
  • Crashes: 2
  • Flat tyres: 0 (!)

Chester to Chamonix – Part 2: The hardest week of my life…

September 4, 2014
It was in the second half of the week that things really got interesting and tested me to the limit ...
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Chester to Chamonix Update Part 1

September 1, 2014
So I’ve finally had chance to sit down and write the first blog update of EPIC7 #3- the Chester2Chamonix cycle. ...
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Chester to Chamonix: one teenager, one week, one bike

August 26, 2014
I glance down wearily at the time on the laptop and once again it’s nearing 1am. I feel nauseous from ...
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Mind Over Mountains is a charity restoring mental health naturally through therapeutic outdoor experiences.

Read more and join us at: www.mindovermountains.org.uk

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alexstaniforth_

Mountains | Mindset | Mental Health
Charity Founder @mindomountains
🌎 The Lake District #GetOutside
Athlete @inov_8 @ordnancesurvey @ellisbrigham

Alex Staniforth - Adventurer
You can't beat a good walk with great friends - an You can't beat a good walk with great friends - and a dog.

Grateful to get back on proper hills this week. There's something about being outside that makes it easier to open up and share what's really going on in our lives. We have less eye contact than face-to-face conversations, where we normally avoid showing emotions. That's the whole ethos @mindomountains - creating safe spaces to walk & talk, and a chance to leave some mental baggage behind.

Next Thursday 2nd Feb is #TimeToTalkDay. If you know someone who's struggling or withdrawn, make some time to talk - and get out for a walk if you can. 

Thanks @hatching_a_plan_ @danobeaumont for the company today.

#forgotthehatthough @ordnancesurvey 
@ellisbrigham
Excited to continue as an @inov_8 athlete in 2023! Excited to continue as an @inov_8 athlete in 2023!

Super grateful for the faith & support, when I still don’t know when I’ll be back running again. Even beforehand I was only really an average runner, not exactly winning races or breaking records - but hopefully what I CAN do for now is help everyone else going through their own setbacks, physically and mentally. We all know that running itself is the straightforward part. Holding on through the setbacks is the hardest training we’ll ever do.

Lucky to work with great brands supporting athletes through tough conditions, not just on the mountains and the trails, but in our everyday lives.

Photo @andymiltonphotography last April - always gets my best side! 😂

#inov8 #getagrip #endurancerunning #enduranceathlete #longcovid #ultrarunning #ultrarunner #fellrunning #lakedistrict #coniston #athletemindset #ultraendurance #mountainrunning
4:01pm. Still light! Walking with my friend @ric 4:01pm. Still light! 

Walking with my friend @richjjones today we chatted about the paradox of choice. When the conditions are great you want to make the most of them. But living on the edge of the Lakes, there's too many good options! We're incredibly lucky that even our 'boring' route is probably a day trip out for others.

Sometimes I've dragged myself out for a sunrise run, changed my route (at least twice) and ended up missing it altogether... Anyone else?! 

Too many choices = decision fatigue. 

Barack Obama was famously known for having just 2 colours of suit so he could focus his energy on more important decisions. 

Moral of the story: cut out the noise, get outside and find the beauty in every moment. 

@ordnancesurvey
@ellisbrigham

#WinterBlues #SpringIsComing
What if I fall? ... But what if you fly? Throwba What if I fall? 
... But what if you fly?

Throwback to last January, prancing around in the Howgills. My favourite training ground: a quiet kingdom of runnable hills, mindless descents, and once you're up, you're alone on the tops for miles. 

My photo archive is getting a little thin now so hopefully I'm running again soon, or you'll end up getting dog photos and trips to Ikea instead...

📸 @danieltoalphoto 

@ordnancesurvey @inov_8 @ellisbrigham #Snow #Howgills #Fellrunning #GetOutside #Downhill #WinterRunning #longcovid
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