The Team
Both members of the challenge served in HM forces, Calum with the Royal Marines and Jonathan with the Royal Artillery. They also have considerable experience of undertaking and completing endurance events.
Calum
Calum is from the Highlands and currently resides in Morayshire. A keen athlete who had been predominantly focused on middle, long distance and cross country running. Participated in the ACE Race adventure racing series during the late ‘90’s and has run a number of his own mountain marathons. He climbed for many years, joined Dundonnell Mountain Rescue Team at the age of 16 and was a fanatical climber through his early twenties. A participant on Operation Raleigh, as both Venturer and Staff, and avid adventurous traveler – hitching, walking and independently traveling down the length of Africa on leaving university. Calum has spent the last 10 years living and working in all corners of the globe. When not standing around an arena at weekends holding horses reins on behalf of his 3 horse mad daughters he will be found doggy paddling up and down the excellent community swimming pool in Forres.
Calum is competing in the Highland Cross (www.highlandcross.co.uk) race on 19th June by way of a mild warm up for the Great Glen Challenge.
Read Calum’s weekly Blog on the website
Jonathan
Jonathan was was born in NZ, but lived for most of his life in Dorset. At 18, in 1987, he joined the Royal Navy and served for 2 years as a Midshipman before transfering into the Army. He is one of a small group of individuals who has attended and completed officer training, at both Brittannia Royal Naval College Dartmouth and the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst. After graduating from RMAS Jonathan went onto serve in the Royal Artillery from 1993 until resigning his commision in May of last year. He has served in Bosnia, Northern Ireland, the Falkland Islands and was a Company Commander in Basra, Iraq.
During his service he was fortunate enough to take part in a number of endurance events; most notably the the Ten Tors Race on Dartmoor, the Welsh 1000 and the Magellan 3 Peaks Race. He is keen strong swimmer, and has previously represented his Regiment and Wiltshire. He enjoys running and has run 5 London Marathons (the latest being the Virgin 2010 Marathon). He has recently combined swimming and running and taken up Triathlon, although finds cycling a difficult event. Having retrained as a fitness coach he now runs his own Studio on the outskirts of Salisbury.
When not running, swimming or working he can be found sailing in anything he can get his hands on. Luckily, Jonathan has an understanding wife, who allows him to take part in these events. He has two small girls and lives in a small village to the north of Salisbury.
Apollo
Apollo provides companion services for the long early morning training runs and can swim faster and over greater distances than both Calum and Jonathan….
