Mannings Heath Golf Club’s Steve Slinger is enjoying a well-earned rest after raising more than £1,400 for charity by successfully completing the 2013 Scotland Coast to Coast challenge.
Slinger was one of thousands of people who took up the gauntlet and took part in the daunting 105-mile event last weekend (14-15 September), which involved running, cycling and kayaking from the east coast of Scotland to the west.
Competitors were challenged to run 22.5 miles, cycle 81 miles and kayak a mile-and-a-half across some of the most scenic but demanding terrain in the Scottish Highlands.
And, joined by training partner and good friend Mike Imrie, a past captain of English National League One rugby union side Worthing, Mannings Heath’s adventurous general manager crossed the finishing line in an impressive time of 13 hours and 8 minutes.
Slinger, who was raising money for Macmillan Cancer Support, said: “It was the most fantastic experience. I’ve been left with a real sense of achievement and am already thinking about doing it again next year!
“It was unquestionably the hardest challenge I have ever been foolish enough to sign up for. However, raising such a fantastic amount for Macmillan made it all entirely worthwhile and I am so grateful for everyone’s support.
“The journey from Nairn to the Isles of Glencoe Hotel will remain etched in my memory. The view that greets you down to the finish was just incredible – and so was the pint in the bar shortly after the finishing line!”
Under the guidance of Stuart Wilkinson, personal trainer at South Lodge Hotel, Mannings Heath’s sister property, Slinger undertook a rigorous four-month training regime ahead of the event which involved cycling to work once a week (a 39-mile round trip), running regular half marathons and cycling and kayaking at weekends.
He added: “The training stood me in good stead but it was a real case of mind over matter for the last quarter of the event. The toughest part of the challenge was coming to terms with the overall distance and it was only when we took the car through the areas we had trekked the following day that we could really understand the extent of the journey and the sheer beauty that had surrounded us.”
Mannings Heath Golf Club, which is owned by the Exclusive Golf group alongside The Manor House Golf Club in Castle Combe, near Bath, boasts two 18-hole layouts – the Waterfall Course and Kingfisher Course.
The former is a members-only course which hosted the 2013 English Women’s Amateur Stroke Play Championship this month, while the latter flows gracefully through the Sussex countryside, testing the skills and nerve of the most seasoned player and was rated by the ‘Top 100 Golf Courses in England’ as the best pay-and-play course in the county in 2011.
Exclusive Golf was formed in 2010 and is a part of Exclusive Hotels, a prestigious group of individual, stylish hotels in the south of England, located in stunning surroundings and presenting a luxurious tranquility in beautiful English locations.
People can still donate to Steve Slinger’s bid to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support by going to http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-web/fundraiser/showFundraiserProfilePage.action?userUrl=hardenup&isTeam=true