Team to tackle five peaks challenge in 48 hours
A RESTAURANT manager is aiming to be in peak condition when he scales five mountains in memory of his dad and uncle.
Darren Gray, 34, manager of Pizza Express in Silverburn, is leading a fourstrong team – including his wife Kirsty, 31 – who aim to raise up to £20,000 for MacMillan Cancer.
Darren was inspired to take part in the Five Peaks challenge, which involves scaling the five highest peaks in the UK and Ireland in 48 hours, after losing both his dad John Gray and uncle David Gray last year.
His dad, who was in his 60s when he died in April last year, battled cancer for the last 15 years of his life.
Darren said: “He was diagnosed with a brain tumour when he was 12 and was only given a year to live.
“He went on to survive another 40 years or so but he was in a wheelchair.”
Darren said his dad couldn’t look after him when he was younger and relied on his brother David for help.
“My uncle looked after me a lot when I was growing up,” he said.
“We were big Partick Thistle fans and went to every game across the country.
“He was a very fit man, in good health until he got the diagnosis.”
His uncle was told in 2014 that he had bowel cancer and died about a year later, last October, also in his 60s.
“It was very quick,” Darren added.
“He only had about a year after he was told.”
Darren said he and the other team members – his wife Kirsty, John Henderson Smith, manager of Pizza Express in Byres Road, and his friend Derek Granger – have been getting out on the hills every week ahead of the challenge on July 16 and 17.
He said: “We went up and down Ben Lomond twice in one day. We are training every Sunday and Thursday after work.
“During the challenge we’ll have to do Ben Nevis in the dark, so we’re going to practice going up at night with head torches.”
He said he originally planned on doing the threepeak challenge – scaling Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowdon – but felt bad taking money for doing something the team would achieve quite comfortably so they decided to make it tougher.
He added: “We decided to go for the five peaks – adding Slieve Donard and Carrantuohill in Ireland – so we won’t enjoy it! It’s going to be brutal.”
The team aims to raise between £15,000 and £20,000 for MacMillan Cancer, which is Pizza Express’ chosen charity.
Darren said they were also organising a five-a-side football tournament with Partick Thistle and said the club was giving them a suite for a race evening. See www. justgiving.com/DARREN-GRAY2 to donate.