KING’S Ely’s inaugural Martin Doyle Challenge for staff took place on June 12th.
Eight members of school staff braved the wet and cold conditions to complete the endurance competition, which is held each year for Senior students.
The annual competition was spearheaded in memory of Kit Martin-Doyle, one of the founders of Ely Scheme Outdoor Education. While most independent schools have an outdoor pursuits programme, the Ely Scheme is both unique and central to the whole King’s Ely experience, as young people are given tangible opportunities to push themselves to achieve beyond anything they ever thought possible.
The staff challenge consisted of a 5km run, a 4km canoe, climbing, a memory test, slacklining, an obstacle course and a 100m swim to finish.
Well done to all of the teams: Alison Stewart and Richard Oliver (1 hour 26 minutes and 30 seconds), Laura Gibson and Scott Mathie (1 hour 36 minutes) and Chanre Bond with a relay team of Jonathan Shaw, Helen Briggs and Claire Kyndt (1 hour 48 minutes).
Director of Outdoor Education at King’s Ely Senior, Sophie Cheng, said: “Huge congratulations to all the competitors! A massive thank you must also go to the staff and Pupil Instructors who helped to assess and supervise the event, and to the brave spectators for sticking out the poor weather!”
The Student Martin Doyle Challenge is scheduled to take place on June 14th – good luck all!