Sharon goes the distance for charity

Sharon Duffin, 27, a photographer with Belfast-based company Venture Photography, laced up her walking boots and joined four of her colleagues in an endurance hike called iPlod, a charity challenge which attracted 26 teams and 150 walkers. The event was designed to raise money for Action Medical Research, which helps sick and disabled children.

Starting at midnight, teams were expected to finish a designated route within 15-17 hours, clocking in at various checkpoints along the way.

And as charity efforts go, Sharon and her team from can truly say they went the extra mile - as they walked an additional 20km after taking several wrong turns.

“None of us could really read a map, which was a bit of a problem,” she admitted. “And it didn’t help that none of us were experienced ramblers. We completed quite a few walking sessions at Castlewellan, Tollymore Forest Park and Cave Hill in preparation for the event, but we really should have spent a little more time honing our orientation skills.

“It was midnight when we set off and it soon became apparent that we had taken a wrong turn,” said Sharon. “When we eventually reached the checkpoint at 5am, we wondered why no-one else was around. It soon became clear - we had arrived six hours early and missed a huge section of the course due to another wrong turn.”

Sharon now looks back on the predicament and admits it was quite a funny turn of events. However, at the time, all she and her team felt was sheer disappointment after five hours of walking without sleep, and panic at the thought of having to start over again.

She added: “Thankfully, the iPlod crew were really helpful and arranged for us to get back on track. After a rest and some breakfast we decided to pick up our spirits and set out again – only to take another wrong turn. Luckily, this time we realized early enough to get back on track.”

Catching up with other iPlod trekkers, the Venture team decided it might be advantageous to follow a team that knew their way to the finish point and so, despite their earlier map mishaps, the team managed to finish in a very creditable 16.5 hours.

“It was worth all the blisters to help raise money for such a good cause and I would definitely do it all again,” she added. “We all really enjoyed the adventure and are keen to take part in another one in the future, but for now it’s probably best we stick to photography rather than map reading!”

Anyone who would like to donate to Action Medical Research can do so by visiting www.action.org.uk