Climbing Kilimanjaro for Pilgrims Hospice

With its summit roughly 5,895 metres above sea level, Mount Kilimanjaro is the highest mountain in Africa.  Many have climbed the mountain, however, less than 50% are reported to have reached the top.

Ex-Dane Court (Broadstairs) pupil Hayden Croxton, along with his friends Joe and Tommy, will be taking on this unforgiving mountain on 31st May 2019 and together they are raising money for the wonderful Pilgrims Hospice.

Sufficient training is of course needed for a task such as this and personal trainer, Tom Rixon has been helping Hayden with his fitness and endurance, ensuring he’ll be in peak form ahead of the climb.

We were able to have a quick chat with Tom to discuss the climb and find out how Hayden is getting on in training.

Hi Tom, were there any specific reasons that the lads picked Mount Kilimanjaro to climb?

Hayden’s already climbed Ben Nevis, so now he wants to try Mount Kilimanjaro.  He’ll be climbing for Pilgrims Hospice.

Are there any reasons specifically, aside from it being an incredible organisation, for choosing Pilgrims Hospice, Margate as the charity of choice?

Mount Kilimanjaro

They chose Pilgrims Hospice because it’s a great local charity and the people that work and volunteer there do amazing work.  Hayden says he hears so many wonderful things about the people there, and this is an excellent opportunity to raise money for a really worthwhile cause.

How long has Hayden been training with you, and what sort of training have you been doing to get him up to scratch?

He’s been training with me for about 11 weeks in total.  We’ve been working on his cardio, weight and altitude training.  He’s made improvements in his cardio endurance, low oxygen management and his strength.

Hayden in training

Will you be training with Hayden right up until they all starts the climb?

I will indeed.  Every week up until he begins the climb on 31st May.  In the last 10 weeks Hayden’s gained 3 kilograms of muscle to assist him on his journey up there.

Is he nervous about it, excited, or a bit of both? Having already climbed Ben Nevis, which is a great achievement, has he ever done anything else like this?

He is nervous, but with all the progression he’s made with me, he’s pretty confident he’s going to get to the top.  Apart from Ben Nevis, he’s not ever done anything else like this.

In just over four weeks, Hayden, Joe and Tommy will begin their ascent to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro.  If you would like to donate to the Pilgrims Hospice in aid of their mammoth feat, then please follow the link here – everything raised will go to the charity.

Tom Rixon, who we had the pleasure to chat with, is a personal trainer and if you’d like to follow Hayden’s training progress, or get in touch with Tom, visit his Facebook page, which can be found here.

From all of us here at CommunityAd; good luck guys!

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