A year ago Niamh Ni Chearbhaill from Two Pot House Cross near Mallow decided to change her life by aiming for the clouds. She accomplished her goal of climbing the three highest peaks in the UK in aid of the Irish Heart Foundation recently. She climbed over 11,000 feet over three days. Ben Nevis was the longest, Scafell Pike was the steepest and Snowdon was the toughest terrain.

“Snowdon (the third and last mountain of the challenge) was very windy and misty. I was still nauseous from the day before and hadn't had much to eat. It was very difficult terrain. The stone pathway had been washed down the mountain leaving the alternate route a jagged vertical cliff face. It was close to the top so turning back and dealing with the terrain in worsening wind was not an option. I kept my head down and made progress by concentrating on one step at a time, blanking my mind as much as possible. I often felt panicked and had to wipe away tears of desperation and fear a few times in order to see where I was going. It was the most grueling thing I've ever done.”

Donations are still very welcome. Anyone who wishes to donate can do so by visiting 3peaks3days.com/donations. Niamh is delighted to have accomplished this physical and mental test of endurance and is already planning her next challenge. She hopes she has inspired some people to make a positive change. She still has a lot of weight loss to go, but has a new level of confidence and determination to get her there.

“You really don’t know what you’re capable of until you try it. You have to stop listening to where your brain says your limits are and let your body tell you instead. At the end of my adventure on the last mountain, I thought I had definitely hit a wall and then I did 5 more miles of trekking. My advice? Try turning off the limits and see what happens.”

Niamh sends a special thank you to her sponsors and supporters, especially Hähnel Industries, MacSweeny Photoshop, HiB Fitness Gym, Mallow Physio, AIB and HJD Coaching and to her brother Eoin for being her guide, her husband Ivan for training with her and her mother Eibhlin for her support. The 3peaks3days.com website will shortly be converted into a community website for all 3 Peaks in 3 Days challenges across the globe and will continue to fund raise for the Irish Heart Foundation.

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