JOHN’S CHRISTMAS CLIMB
MOST people’s plans for Christmas Day involve a lot of time spent indoors in front of a cosy fire, but not John McKeown.
His plans for the day involves climbing Croagh Patrick, wearing only boots and shorts.
John is embarking on the challenge to raise funds for 3Ts Turn the Tide On Suicide charity and A Lust for Life which aims at changing attitudes to mental health.
The Collon resident is a firm believer in how exercise helps improve mental health and assists people in coping with stress and depression.
He recalls how his wife Jackie, who is originally from Dundalk, was diagnosed with cancer in 2010.
‘ This was a very stressful time for my wife and myself. I found that taking walks and at the same time deep breathing helped us both to relax a little.’
As he searched online for information on breathing practices, he stumbled on a video of Wim Hof, the Dutch man known as the Iceman due to his ability to withstand extreme cold thanks to breathing techniques which he has developed.
‘I was intrigued so I decided to sign up for the online 10 week course,’ recounts John, who works in Prometric, Dundalk. ‘ The course involved learning the breathing techniques and taking daily cold showers and a few stretching exercises. I really enjoyed the breathing as it made me feel so relaxed. The cold showers were a challenge but afterwards you felt great and also there was a sense of achievement so I continued to practice daily.
In 2016 he went to Wim Hof ’s training centre in Holland and spent a week doing advanced training, before taking his first ice bath. He travelled to Poland in November 2017 to train as an instructor, which daily breathing classes followed by cold water immersions in the river at water temps of 4 degrees Celsius.
‘At the end of the week we climbed Mount Sniezka, Poland wearing only boots and shorts. This was a 5 hour trek at -8 Celsius at the summit.’
Since then John has continued the daily routine of breathing technique and cold showers and takes an ice bath at least once a week: a routine he says ‘ has definitely made me a more relaxed person’.
He also conducts workshops in which he shares the skills he has learned and recently organised an ice bath challenge for work colleagues at Blackrock beach.
Having raised funds for the company’s chosen charity, the 3 Ts, he thought it would be a good cause to support when embarking on his Christmas Day challenge.
‘Mental health problems and suicide are an increasing issue in today’s society, with one in four of us experiencing some form of mental health issue at some point in our lives,’ he says. ‘I have personally encountered these issues among friends and family and in the wider community and would like some way to help.’
‘I had been following A Lust for Life on social media as I saw a documentary ‘Ironmind’ about Bressie and how he got some people to train for a half Iron man and this had helped relieve their stress, so I decided to include them in my challenge.’
As he prepared for his Croagh Patrick climb, John trekked around Glendalough in the pouring rain wearing only shorts and boots.
‘I have to say it was not enjoyable,’ he says. He is hoping for cold and try weather on Christmas Day.
John will be accompanied by his sons Michael, John and Jason, who will be fully clothed.
They will start their climb at 10am and, depending on the weather, hope to complete it and be back down the mountain in three hours.
‘After a shower we will start the drive home and hopefully be home for 6pm on Christmas Day,’ he says.
‘I am looking forward to the challenge and spending time with my sons climbing the mountain. It’s a different way to spend Christmas day but it is exciting and it’s for two worthy charities.’