Some people spend Christmas Eve binging on chocolates and relaxing before the big day, but not Ethan Spiteri. Instead, the former royal engineer took a pen and fan to his hands and knees to raise money for the children’s Noah’s Ark campaign.
He completed the epic challenge in four hours and 15 minutes, but with blisters on his knees and swollen hands. Ethan, 30, faced 60 mph winds and heavy rain as he completed his life run up and down the mountain.
He was accompanied by his father-in-law Kerry Owens, son-in-law Lloyd Owens and friend Rob “Sammy” Bryan, who provided moral support but remained standing. Ethan enjoyed seeing his face getting closer to the sheep droppings less than he would have liked, but he said it was worth every painful step on his hands and knees. You can get more story updates straight to your inbox by subscribing to our newsletters here.
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He and his wife Beth, who lives in Nelson, had their first daughter, Lorena, 11 months ago. She is perfectly healthy, but the birth of her first child made Ethan, who now works at GE Aviation, think about the importance of supporting a charity that helps sick children. “It rained all day, but it was worth it. “I’ve always wanted to do something charitable, but I’m not in shape for a marathon, so I decided to crawl,” Dad said.
“I trained at the gym doing a lot of planks to strengthen my core. Now my hands and knees are a little swollen. My knees are in bad shape, blistered and I feel tight in my lower back and shoulders, but I’m fine. “I got up a few times to stretch, but then I took a few steps back so I wouldn’t cheat.”
Heavy rain made much of the path to Story Arms very muddy. However, he preferred it to the gravel road going down. “It was like sitting on a treadmill for four hours looking at gravel. I preferred the swampy parts because they were softer to crawl through. “I had pads to protect my knees, but they kept slipping, so I bandaged them.”
Ethan joked that the challenge freed him from Christmas cooking. He said he now hopes to get some time off for Christmas and replace the lost calories with turkey and pudding.
Raised over £2,000 for the Noah’s Ark Appeal. To donate, see here
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Source: Wales Online

John Cameron is a journalist at The Nation View specializing in world news and current events, particularly in international politics and diplomacy. With expertise in international relations, he covers a range of topics including conflicts, politics and economic trends.