Up the hill for Jack and Jill!

On Saturday, June 26, Pat Bolger of Henry Schein Ireland, along with a group of fellow members of Naas Cycling Club, undertook the toughest climbing challenge in the world – to cycle the height of Mount Everest in one day – in aid of the Jack and Jill Children’s Foundation, which provides home-based care to children under six who have life-limiting conditions.
The rules to ‘Everesting’ are simple: one climb up and down without any deviation from that hill until finished – 8,848 vertical metres. Pat’s group chose Sorrell Hill in Wicklow, with a climb of 257m over 4.5km, or a total of 35 repeats. All three cyclists completed the minimum 8,848m. Pat began his trek at 12.00am and finished at 12.10am the next day – a little over 24 hours.
There have been 86 Everests completed in Ireland so far, and Pat is now ranked number one; that is, he is the oldest to have completed this gruelling challenge. He said: “Thanks to everyone who came out to support us throughout a long day, and special thanks to the lads who did some repeats alongside us”. Congratulations Pat on a fantastic achievement! The funding page for this event is still open, and every €18 raised covers one hour of much-needed nursing support. If you would like to donate to this very worthy cause, please go to www.justgiving.com/fundraising/paddy-bolger1.