CHALLENGE 2015
JAMIE MCANSH| PUSHING LIFE'S LIMITS
12CHALLENGES | 12 MONTHS
In January 2015 Jamie realised that his life was never going to be the same, He concluded that even if he woke up perfectly able-bodied he would never be the man who went to bed on the 6th January 2014.
After holding a small funeral for his able-bodied version of himself, Jamie decided he needed to find out whom he now was and what he was now capable of.
Challenge 2015 was born.
WCMX
Jamie took a chair built for Tesco’s cut the back end off, fitted suspension and took himself off to a skate park.
1
Hand-cycle Marathon
Jamie every year takes part in a challenge for TSSAware in memory of a dear young lady taken way to young from Toxic Shock Syndrome. This time Jamie hand-cycled From Cwmbran to Chepstow. 26 miles in terrible wet and rainy conditions.
2
Clay Pigeon Shooting
Jamie has used a gun before both in the arm and on a shotgun range, but never in a chair.
3
Down Hill Rough Riding:
Yep, you guessed it. In a wheelchair purpose built for the down hill circuit and hitting speeds of 40+MPH through the woods.
4
Carten100
Back in a hand-cycle, only this time 100 miles from Cardiff to Tenby. 13 hours of gruelling road cycling using only hand power.
5
WAAT4
30k adventure over the Brecon Beacons. Jamie did this in a wheelchair, the first to achieve and currently the only person to attempt this challenge in a self-propelled wheelchair.
6
Rowing Down The River Wye:
Somewhat easier challenge to his last few, but still very taxing with limited core control.
7
Surfing
Being in the sea is one thing, getting there is another. With some great support, Jamie was soon in the waves and loving the open water. He even hit a few waves along the way.
8
Zip Line
Something ticked off Jamie’s Bucket list. The challenge was getting into the sling, but with some upper body strength and ingenuity, no challenge is too big.
9
Motorcycling
After years of being a biker, this seemed a thing of the past. However, with an adapted bike, open track and a great team. Jamie was soon up and hitting the bends at great speeds.
10
Getting On A Aeroplane
Now an easy challenge in a wheelchair, Jamie had been dreading it from the word go. However, with a bit of trust in those around him, it was soon achieved.
11
Christmas Market
Definitely the most dangerous. Hit with several bags, poked with umbrellas, sat on and bumped into more time than could keep count. There was a little corner where Jamie sneaked a mulled wine, so not so bad.
12
THE MESSAGE
Every challenge came with its massive up’s and horrendous down’s. However Jamie learned valuable lessons about his abilities and vulnerabilities. Jamie also learned that at time we all fail. That is a fact of life. We all fall over from time to time. This is also a fact of life.
