Rising to the challenge, for good causes

This summer, about 20 intrepid Anaplanners from across our three UK offices (and even one from the U.S.!) will take on the National Three Peaks Challenge. All for a great cause.

So what is the Three Peaks Challenge? Simply put, it involves climbing the highest peak in each of England, Wales, and Scotland—for a total of three mountains scaled—within a period of 24 hours. We’ll start off in northern Scotland to tackle Ben Nevis, the highest peak at 1,345 meters (4,411 feet). Next comes England’s Scafell Pike, not so high at only 978 meters (3,209 feet), but reportedly the toughest climb due to highly polished rocks and poor holds. Last of all, a drive westward into Wales for our final peak, Snowdon, at a height of 1,085 meters (3,560 feet).

We estimate that we’ll finish in around 23 hours, 13 of which will be walking and climbing, and another 10 driving between the base of each mountain. Somewhat short of the record (a touch under 12 hours, set way back in 1971), but impressive nonetheless.

And the great cause? Three very worthy charities, chosen by the participants, and local to each of our offices in York, Maidenhead, and London: SASH, Foodshare, and Centrepoint, respectively. Both SASH and Centrepoint do fantastic work to reduce youth homelessness, while Foodshare operates the Maidenhead food bank and provides much-needed supported to low-income families.

I’ve long harbored an ambition to take on this challenge. It’s just the right blend of impressive-enough-to-brag-about-at-the-pub, without being too oh-my-lord-what-have-I-done-why-have-my-legs-dropped-off? Once I got my feet under the table here, I pitched the idea to the UK team and was pleasantly surprised at the level of enthusiasm. From engineers and HR, to marketing and customer success, nearly every department is covered. A challenge of this magnitude requires a great deal of organization, connectivity, and planning—so who better to undertake such an expedition with than a group of Anaplanners?

Training has begun in earnest (though this author needs to do rather more!), with Anaplanners to be seen romping across the English countryside at weekends and running around the local cities at lunchtime.

So, just how difficult is the Three Peaks Challenge? The official website states: “[The Challenge is] pretty hard, although the experience tends to vary greatly between different people. Sleep deprivation plays a part here, affecting some people more than others, particularly with awkward sleeping conditions. With an appropriate fitness plan beforehand, it will be much easier.” Better hop to it then!

Now, where did I leave my hiking boots?

Interested joining a team that does great work and does good for the community? Check out our Careers page for current job openings at Anaplan. In the meantime, you can follow the team’s progress during training and the expedition itself via the hashtag #AnaplanThreePeaks on Facebook and Twitter.