Snowdonia for Jonathan

“I have completed the Snowden Challenge for the past two years. In 2018, we had a team which comprised of myself, Graham, Kevin and a young chap called Nial, who asked us in the carpark if he could walk with us. Then, in 2019, it was the same team again less Nial who couldn’t make it this time. The event was really well organized both times, leading up to and during the event. The walk up and down Snowdon is invigorating and the place is stunning.

Everyone involved, walkers included, were very approachable and friendly and we all get a tremendous amount of pleasure from meeting not just the people involved in our event, but also the other walkers on the trail. I exchanged words with pretty much everyone who made eye contact on the way up and down. We were especially laughing when I was compared to Crocodile Dundee in New York, when he was out on his own. I was visited by prostate cancer eight years ago.

I had a radical prostatectomy and was okay for a year, but then my PSA started going up again. After 32 sessions of radiotherapy and 2 years of hormone treatment, I’m all okay at the moment. Treatment seems to have improved since then but in my opinion there is still a way to go. This is why we have to support PCR to push on with research.

You don’t have to be a gung-ho mountain climber but at a steady pace it takes two and a half hours up and the same down, so it is necessary to reach a standard of fitness before taking up the challenge. I’m not a massive walker but in the month leading up to the challenge I was walking four miles a night. It even gave me a reason to completely stop smoking! The sense of achievement is beyond belief and it is a really great way to raise funds to help eradicate prostate cancer.”