HARRY Teggarty is no stranger to mountains – be that at home or abroad. Having spent his life living with the majestic Mournes as his backdrop, spending many thousands of hours “up on the hills”, the Annalong man has an appreciation, not just for the area but also its people. And with that in mind, Harry is about to take on one of the toughest challenges of his life – but, perhaps, not the hardest of them all. Three years ago this popular and wellrespected Annalong man was diagnosed with leukaemia, but that didn’t put a stop to his plans to carry on helping others.
In addition to being a very active member of the Mourne Mountain Rescue Team, this local grandfather is now counting down the days until he takes on a route he knows well – Cassie’s Challenge. The challenge sees participants take on 50 mountains – but on this occasion Harry will be doing it twice.
At 5am on Monday, he will set off from his home overlooking Annalong Harbour and will continue for as long as he can, and with limited rest breaks, until he completes the challenge. Harry is raising funds for the Leukaemia and Lymphoma NI charity. “People have been good to me, God has taken care of me, and now I want to do what I can to help another person going through this journey,” he said. In this instance, Harry intends to powerwalk the extra-long 106-mile course, and will have people keeping him company along parts of the way. Resting up over the next few days, conserving as much energy as he can and whilst mentally preparing himself for what lies ahead, Harry explained that he had been putting plenty of hours of practice in, with endurance walks having taken place in recent weekends.
Speaking from his home on Monday evening, Harry thanked everyone who has contributed to the fundraiser to date as well as for the countless messages of support and encouragement he has already received. Harry actually devised Cassie’s Challenge, which is named in memory of his family’s beloved black Labrador, and subsequently published a beautiful hardback book outlining the route. He donates the proceeds from the book to the local mountain rescue team. To date, these sales have reached well over £10,000. Having previously run the 50-mountain challenge in just 21 hours and 43 minutes, Harry explained that this ‘double’ version of Cassie’s Challenge that he is about to embark upon will be “about endurance and all about pacing myself”.
He will be covering a distance equivalent to four marathons and will have climbed in the region of 13,000 metres by the time he’s finished. It’s definitely not for the faint-hearted. He hopes to be able to catch two or three hours of rest, either in a support vehicle if it’s accessible, or on one of the mountainsides. Harry said that when he first came up with the fundraising idea, people “might have thought I was mad”. But he is determined to “give it a go and do my very best”. The most important thing will be raising funds and awareness for a charity he describes as “a really worthy cause”. “This September it will be three years since the diagnosis and I have been able to manage the condition through daily chemotherapy, in tablet form. “I know there are other people out there who are in a similar set of circumstances to me, and I just want to be able to do something to help other families,” he explained. “It’s all about giving something back, and whatever happens, I know I will give it my all,” said Harry of his imminent challenge.
Traditionally, Cassie’s Challenge is a race against the clock – with the target of completing it in under 24 hours. With 50 mountains to summit (unless you decide like Harry to do it twice!), it sets off from the harbour and takes participants through the heart of the Mourne Mountains. The challenge will be followed live via Primal Tracking and anyone who wishes to donate towards the fundraiser can do so online by searching for ‘Harry’s fundraiser for Leukaemia and Lymphoma NI’ on the JustGiving.com site. Concluded Harry: “I have decided now is the time for me to show my appreciation by doing this fundraiser and I will give the challenge my best shot.
Anyone who would like to accompany me along sections will be most welcome and, as I have said before, all donations will be greatly appreciated.” Copies of the book ‘Cassie’s Challenge’ are on sale via the shop on the Mourne Mountain Rescue Team’s Facebook page and also in local bookstores.