Loving life as a torchbearer, fame and so much more. And it can only get better.

Form an orderly queue for autographs please!
Only joking, I'll be modest, but I must say I've been blown away by the past 2 weeks. Basking in the 'fame'.

Well, firstly I was invited to the BBC studios in Manchester to be interviewed by the one and only BBC NW tonight presenter for the BBC School Report. At first I was told it was a radio interview, but then I realised I would be sat on the BBC NW tonight sofa, in front of a camera with thousands of people watching me. Oh jolly good, I thought. I went with my school, as 10 pupils in lower years also took part in the school report. I was awestruck by the BBC studios, what an amazing place. Got a tour of BBC Sport. We were treated like royalty despite what must have been a chaotic day for them. It was a 5.30am start, got there for 7.30 ish. I was dreading it, you see, I've suffered with a speech problem for most of my life, making me very nervous at speaking but generally with crap 'people skills'. As we were led into the studio and I met Roger (nice bloke) I was shaking with nerves. But fascinated by how the programme was organised. Met Matthew, a pleasant young torchbearer from Bury who was being interviewed at the same time as me. He was only 12, and I'm 6"3 so I towered over him. It was all very frantic, then there was a countdown, until 3.. 2...1 You're on air. Sadly the interview was delayed and therefore very rushed and brief so I couldn't mention my Mont Blanc project at all and barely answered the other questions in detail, but I was nervous too. Still, very pleased I did it. Hit your fears head on!

Then I met ex-footballer and Strictly Come Dancing star Robbie Savage and approached him before he got dragged off by the ear for an interview. I told him what I was doing and asked if he'd be willing to donate something to my charity auction for my charity night (which has now been booked for the 29th June by the way, more details to follow). He was rushed too but I left my number and email with him, he sort of nodded.... let's hope I get something from him. Got a picture with him too which I'll post here when the BBC decide to email it to me. I was then shown briefly on BBC Northwest Tonight on that evening!


You can view the interview here, if you scroll to 1:12 on the slider. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-17392092

And here's a pic of me on the sofa with Roger:

But that week could only get better. The day after, I got an email from BBC Radio Merseyside asking to interview me about the honour of carrying the Olympic torch. So I eagerly emailed back and the nerves hit me again, but I can do this, I thought. On the same day, I got my official Olympic Torchbearer confirmation AT LAST! I'll definitely be running with the torch in Chester, on the 29th May in the evening sometime. The exact location and time is yet to be confirmed. I was absolutely buzzing by the end of that week.

On Tuesday, I received an email saying that Coca-Cola are going to purchase all of the Coca-Cola torchbearers an Olympic Torch. Brilliant news. Saved me £200 anyway. This means I'll definitely get to keep my torch afterwards, use it at public events (including my charity fundraising night) and I've already been asked to go to my local primary school and Brownies group to talk to them about the torch, and let them hold the real one. It shall be treasured. We've also been given the chance to buy official torchbearer merchandise that only we can buy!

This morning I was met by a BBC reporter and interviewed at school for the Tony Snell Breakfast Show on BBC Radio Merseyside. I wasn't as nervous knowing that I wouldn't have to see my ugly mug on a TV screen but still, I was determined to mention a lot more this time. The interview went pretty well I'd say, I mentioned Mont Blanc and the 3 Peaks as well as obviously describing what it's like to be a torchbearer. Really enjoyed the experience, definitely better than Geography anyway... Now I've realised that I forgot to mention a few bits like Kilimanjaro or this blog but ah well, can never be perfect. Wasn't sure how it sounded but was kindly reassured that it was great. So at 7:25am tomorrow, I will be hearing the edited interview. Look forward nervously to hearing it. Hope it sounds okay. It's on iPlayer if you miss it.

Going to a torchbearer photoshoot on Monday, so even more fame to come! And the Chester Chronicle are keen to profile me again, along with the torchbearer I've discovered that lives down my road! What's the chances of that?! 8000 torchbearers, 2 on one road... Will get some pics of myself with the torch and styling the new outfit for the blog.

Loving the fame so far, it's been crazy, I've been rushed off my feet. I'm going to struggle a bit for the next few months, with A-levels, Mont Blanc, the torch, running, races, work/general chores... but I wouldn't have it any other way. It will all pay off in the end, even if 12am-1am bedtimes are necessary. Progress is slow at the moment, lots of letters to go out. SO MUCH work to do.

But if I can keep living my dream, inspiring others, influencing people to go for their goals, enjoying myself and raising money for amazing charities then I'm happy. So much more to come, maybe some more records to be broken. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. What an awesome year this will unfold to be.

Oh and my charity night has been booked for the 29th June, more to follow.

I've now nearly got to the £300 mark on my Virgin Money Giving page, which is great. I want to thank the following people for their generous sponsorship so far, Steve Richards, Rob Tudor, Chris Spray, celebrity rock climber Ben Heason, Andrew Bell, Chris Pownell and Jayne Cooper for their kind contributions, I really appreciate them. Unfortunately the radio interview didn't bring any more in but ah well. Still pleased. Not even a 10th of the way there yet though, so keep it coming please folks! :-) 

....Keep tuned!

Overdue a blog post, I'm on TV tomorrow!

Taking part in the BBC School Report tomorrow, off to the BBC studio in Manchester for the day. Been invited to go along and be interviewed about what it's like to be a torchbearer etc. It was organised by the school. I believe I'll be live on camera at some point between 9-10am tomorrow and I think you can view it by 'pressing red' on BBC or on the iPlayer online.

Very anxious! I've suffered a speech problem since I've been young due to epilepsy, which I've not let affect my schoolwork or my ambitions/goals. It's an obstacle I'll overcome- and the best way is to hit the fear head on by technically talking in front of thousands! Will post the link in a blog tomorrow. Will try and mention my Mt Blanc project tomorrow and get a link to my fundraising page, hopefully it'll pick up some interest and donations. Will make good practice for the Summer, as I've been asked to speak to my local primary school kids about the 3 Peaks and the Olympic torch, my local Brownies pack (in Tarporley) and when I run my charity night in June I'll need to make a speech! Oh, and I've been shortlisted to go to London on a torchbearer photoshoot on the 21st or 26th March. Still TBC!

That reminds me- we are looking at running our charity night party in Kelsall on the 29th June but still TBC. Originally we planned the 6th July (the one year anniversary of my 3 Peaks conincidentally) but this was unavailable. More info to follow, it's going to be a great night! Contacting some airlines for flight donations this week, the Kelsall Parish council, KADRAS, supermarkets for bag collections. And a lot more, when I get round to it that is. Progress is very slow. I've been involved with a charity called Epilepsy Action, my fellow torchbearer friend Katie works for this charity and I've sent an article written about my journey with the illness- to try and inspire other sufferers that they too can acheive their goals and that there's nothing stopping them from experiencing life. Go for it! Hopefully that article will be on the website soon so you can read it and find out more about me you didn't already know. Busy busy busy! Oh, and I got a Tweet (@alex_staniforth) yesterday saying that a man's 12 year old son had read my article on Live for Adventure and I'd inspired him to do the 3 Peaks! I'm humbled! Being able to live my own dreams is rewarding enough but to inspire others is amazing, who knows what the future will have in store for him like it did for me. Best of luck to him. Another guy has messaged me for 3 Peaks advice which I've happily given.

Lastly, I'll finish my article by going off subject and mentioning what happened last weekend! Hard to stick to one subject on one blog! More running I'm afraid. Ran the Age UK Tatton Park 10k on Sunday, at 10am, been looking forward to it for ages. Finished 2nd/530! Was 14 seconds behind the winner, couldn't quite catch him, pushing myself to the max. It was quite a weak field of runners hence my success. Best of all I smashed my PB- 37:34!! Knocked 3 mins off since a month ago. So chuffed. Was a close race, but so much excitement, the guy in 3rd chased me all the way. I threw up as I passed the line, showing how hard I ran (hope you're not eating...). Somehow I ran at 6:10 min/mile pace, I can't even run 5k at that... anyway. Awesome race, great weather, nice ground, scenery, well organised, great atmosphere. So surprised. Well done to everyone who took part! I'll be back next year. Wish I'd gone for the win, I might have been able to do it. But not far off anyway. Not sure if my race #2 was an omen or pot luck! Obviously relevant to Mt Blanc- as I'll need a very high cardiovascular fitness level, which is building all the time! There's some pics for you to see below, hope you like them. Building my fitness further by entering 5 races in April alone. Will let you know how I do.

 Last 200metres of pain

Prize giving on the podium

5 months to go..

Hey everyone,

Sorry for no updates!
The project is looking more promising as time goes on. Thanks to everyone who's supported me so far. With thanks to Chris Spray, who is currently my biggest donor and has suggested some really good fundraising ideas, including a 'Herman the German Friendship cake' idea which will hopefully get going soon.
I've only raised £100 so far out of £4810, but it's a start, this has all been on the fundraising page- www.virginmoneygiving.com/montblanc2012. I've been trying to get this into circulation as much as possible via Facebook and Twitter. But I'm not even in 100% mode yet, just wait till I get going with it!

I won't reveal anything else yet unless it's been confirmed, but there are some other good ideas including a charity night at a local pub which are being planned and more info will follow on those. I got bored and decided to put my mass array of thoughts onto paper and filled a few sheets of A4 with what needed doing, researching and who I needed to contact. My head is much clearer. I am going to contact the Duke of Westminster and other wealthy people for support- worth a go. I'm also going to write to football clubs to try and get signed shirts and memorabilia for a charity auction. This one event alone could raise up to half my target in one night! More to follow.

I've been getting excited about the Olympic Torch relay too. Waiting for my official confirmation in March, along with the details of where i'll be running and exactly when. Also found out that up to 90% of the relay will be televised by BBC News, so I'll likely be making an appearance! Been invited by the organisers to take part in some publicity work, 'doing interviews, taking part in an exciting photoshoot, and given the chance to meet some of my favourite music stars' in London. Obviously the music stars will likely be The Wanted or One Direction, so it loses the incentive appeal, but maybe i'll get some signed merchandise for my charity auction. It includes transport, food and accommodation costs so I'll be travelling to London sometime in March/April. More details to follow. Sounds like a great opportunity though, and I'll get to meet some other torchbearers.

If you haven't already seen it, I made the front page of the Chester Chronicle 2 weeks ago- the pic below shows the full article on page 4. Mt Blanc has had a mention, but sadly brought no interest yet. I'll keep going!

Training going well again..

Finished Helsby Half Marathon in 1:33. 3 minutes faster than my target of 1:36, and 4.5 mins faster than my previous PB of 1:38! Really pleased! I won't go overboard too much, but it was just a generally brilliant race. Really enjoyable. Position: 295/1621. 2nd in my age category (U20). Well done to all of my friends at West Cheshire AC (my club) who did well, especially Chris Prior who came 3rd. Was good to have support off each other, I love being in a club. Even had lots of people shouting encouragement simply because I was part of the club! Lots of people I knew from the local area were there too. Overall a great day, but only space for improvement. Entered my first marathon for October. Bring it on!

This is of course relevant to Mt Blanc, because Mt Blanc is quite a physical challenge not to be under-estimated. It's going to require some training, although I'm already super keen on cycling and running so shouldn't be a problem. I won't be doing anything specifically for it, just my general outdoorsy lifestyle and the odd days in Snowdonia with friends.

Project-wise, I've been following up on two potential sponsorship leads. Fingers crossed.

Fundraising page set up!

Ok, finally chosen my charities- one of my 3 Peaks beneficiaries- REACT has been chosen again as they are a brilliant charity and very supportive. I have also chosen Cancer Research UK. These will be receiving a 50/50 split of the funds raised.

Here's the VirginMoneyGiving page for you to check out, I'm using the same system for fundraising again like I did with the 3 Peaks. I will also be accepting cash donations in person, which I will transfer over to the page, but I'd appreciate it if you could sponsor me online. Here it is: www.virginmoneygiving.com/montblanc2012

Spread the word!
Live the dream...

And so the project begins..

Hey guys..

Well, firstly, I'm Alex, an outdoors enthusiast from Kelsall in Cheshire. I have a passion for mountains, running, trail running, mountain biking, walking and mountains, and I like photography and climbing too. I've already been busy so far after developing a lot of interest in this sort of stuff, and I've got even bigger plans. In July this year I became the youngest person ever to do the 3 Peaks Challenge solo and raised £1700 for charity. I've also began running and entered a few races this year and I'm wanting more! Raced the Beeston (Sandstone Run) 10k, Winsford 10k, Hellrunner and the Tatton Yule Yomp 10k in December. Finished 11th in Tatton, out of 867, which is my best running acheivement so far, in a time of 41:30. Loving it. Already entered the Tatton Park 10k in March, due to do the Helsby Half Marathon in January, entered the Beeston run (again), Chester Half Marathon and the 50 mile Manchester-Chester bike ride. Due to enter the Chester and Snowdonia Marathons, and I'm considering the Ring of Fire, an ultra marathon which takes on 131 miles in 3 days.. Otherwise I'm an A-level student, and my focus is on doing these hobbies and having fun on the way.
It's all about living the dream.

My main project for 2012 is tackling Mont Blanc, at 15,720ft (4800m) it's the highest in the Alps, if you didn't already know. A largely untechnical peak, very much achievable with even little experience and no huge amount of fitness or mountaineering skill is required hence why it is summitted by over 100,000 every year. It also has a high death rate, partially due to the number of people attempting it without appropriate experience to maintain themselves in the mountain environment. It's definitely no challenge to be under-estimated. It's a very popular mountain because of it's accessiblity and lack of technicality, being situated near one of the Alp's hotspots, Chamonix, and being covered by many many guiding firms in the area who are relatively cheap.

I've paid my £400 deposit to Dream Guides (www.dream-guides.com), which is non-refundable, so I'm going! Very excited, can't wait, I want 7 months to come quickly but I doubt they will. In the meantime I can just do the planning for it, and the training, although I've been told that a general cardiovascular fitness level of being able to do a half marathon in 1:45 is needed, and I can manage it in 1:42 at the moment. I'll be part of a group, with a qualified mountain guide or two. It'll be a small group or 5-6 people at most so I'll be able to bond with them and come away with friends too which is good. I won't be doing it with anyone I know as I had hoped, but I'll manage on my own as I'll be focused on nothing but getting myself up and down in one piece.

Why do I want to do it?
It's an easy benchmark and it's cheap. It's at a good altitude to build up to higher altitudes, without being too expensive to get to but not too easy that I gain little from it. It's a great, basic introduction and I wouldn't want to start any easier or any harder. The views up there look awesome too, and it's a short course so it doesn't take much time up. It just looks like a brilliant experience, still with the element of risk as you'd expect, but just seeing the mountain attracts me. It's something that's been growing on me for a while. The summit draws me to it, I feel like I've got to get there and see it for myself.. so I will! I'm not just your typical over-ambitious teen who thinks he can summit the most dangerous and highest peaks in the world just by being good in the gym (which I'm not!), I respect what mountaineering involves, and I am serious about what I do. It's not just signing a cheque and being dragged up a mountain by someone, I will be fully responsible for my own actions up there and I understand that. Sorry guys, serious mountaineering talk finished. Let the good times roll. Just wanted to make sure people knew where I stood in front of this bloody big French hill.

My other plans for the future include Kilimanjaro, Ama Dablam, Island Peak, Manaslu, various Alps ascents, Everest Base Camp and Everest is on the list too (seriously!). I just want to explore, and eventually work as a mountain guide doing this for a living. Got plenty of time to think about all that though. Looking for sponsorship for Mont Blanc. Still got £1300 to pay by June next year. That doesn't include insurance or other costs like transport from airport to Chamonix (mum's paying for flights which helps), and my kit costs, which really aren't cheap. If you own or work for a company and want your brand name to be endorsed by my attempt, i.e. if you want a mention in my press releases (I always publicise my attempts online, locally and in the newspapers so it's a brilliant opportunity) then please contact me. Imagine having your brand name, company logo etc being held by me on a banner, from the summit of Mont Blanc! What a brilliant publicity opportunity for you to use to target customers! If you would be willing to fund part or all of my expedition fee I'd be very grateful and make it worthwhile for you. Call me up on 07891 841376 anytime to discuss this or email me at: climber-stani@hotmail.co.uk. Without funding, the climb cannot be guaranteed to go ahead.

You may have seen me in the Chester Chronicle recently, advertising a similar story to the one above I've just mentioned. This is my 7th appearance in the newspaper this year, and is just the first of many in the future, and at least 2 more articles related to my Mont Blanc ascent. This could have your name on it, if you support me.

Oh, and I'm going to be running with the Olympic Torch for London 2012 on the 29th May next year!

Thanks for checking out the blog, I hope you're interested in my story and upcoming adventure, I hope you keep coming back for updates and please spread the word!
Have a Happy Christmas and watch this space :-)

Find me on Facebook, and say hello! https://www.facebook.com/alex.staniforth1

Live the Dream....