Fundraiser takes on Three Peaks challenge barefoot
Climbing the Three Peaks is a challenge in itself but Kase Lewis is aiming to walk the mountains barefoot.
The former teacher, who grew up in Bilston, is taking on his epic mission this weekend.
He is raising money for Education Support, a charity dedicated to improving the health and wellbeing of teachers, which is close to his heart.
After experiencing “teacher burnout”, he started to suffer from stress, anxiety and depression.
Kase turned to exercise and nature to improve his mental health and began barefoot running in January.
He then decided to push himself further by setting himself the challenge of scaling Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowdon – more than 3,000 metres of ascent – without any shoes.
“I wanted to deal with it through more exercise and getting back to nature, rather than taking anti-depressants," he explained.
“The whole thing about being barefoot is when there is really horrible ground, it’s hard but it doesn’t last long and you are on to nice ground like grass or a sandy beach.
“You get to feel those nice sensations which you wouldn’t feel when wearing shoes,” he added.
But mountain walking without shoes did take some getting used to.
“The first run was 10 minutes at the most. My feet were blistered and cracked and there was a lot of learning. Now they’ve adapted. They’re not pretty but they work better,” explained Kase, who now lives in Burton-on-Trent.
Unfortunately it’s not all gone to plan for him as, first, his challenge, originally scheduled for May, had to be postponed due to Covid-19 and then two months ago he broke his foot.
“I had to go through physiotherapy to get back on track and get my foot working properly,” says Kase, who will turn 38 two days before the challenge.
Training for the Three Peaks resumed two weeks ago and has included a walk up The Wrekin in Shropshire.
Kase will be accompanied by two friends - who will be wearing walking boots - for his climbs and he is now counting down the days.
“I’m really excited about the challenge and I think the preparation I’ve done is really good,” says Kase, who now works as a NLP Practitioner and personal performance coach.
To sponsor Kase’s barefoot challenge go to justgiving.com/fundraising/barefoot-3-peaks
