Marti-thon 2010 - The BOUNCY challenge

So, the second challenge and with it Sally and I say a psychological 'goodbye' to another chemo session.

At 8am this morning i waved goodbye to Sally and FOUR children (did i mention my wife is amazing) so that my good friends Alwyn and Dave could accompany me on the 180 mile journey over to Middlesbrough. The challenge - to leap 160 feet off the Middlesbrough Transporter bridge attached to a bungee cord.

It was (rarely) snowing in Prestatyn so we left in the mind that we would probably end up encountering more snow along the way and weren't wrong. Between Huddersfield and Leeds we dropped down to 40mph and could only use the slow lane on the M62 due to the snow build up in the fast and overtaking lane.

We arrived in Middlesbrough at 1115 and whilst i though we'd check in, have a coffee, watch a few people jump, have another coffee and then go through at my allocated time of 1230 i was, in fact, thrust a disclaimer form to sign, weighed, strapped into a climbing harnesss and before i knew it, was making my way up the 210 steps to the top of the bridge. Whilst nervously making conversation with the 3 UK Bungee attendants in the swirling snow at the top i was informed that the bridge is capable of transporting 200 people, 9 cars or 6 cars and one minibus across the River Tees in 90 seconds using the Gondola suspended below us - apparently they close the gondola till 2pm on jump days . . . fascinating isn't it?

The two girls in front of me were jumping to raise money for their trip to Peru in the summer and, in their nervousness, i soon found myself jumping first while they warmed themselves in a couple of coats provided by the chivalrous attendants - i meanwhile was freezing.

Once attached to the bungee cord and, with harness and carabiners checked and triple checked, i was informed to shuffle forwards to the edge of the jump platform.

Now, let me paint a picture for you here, my feet were strapped together, so all you can do is shuffle forwards as though you've been caught short on the loo and have to go and search for toilet paper. It's pretty tricky to look tough and nonchalant in front of two squealy 19 year olds when you're walking like your trousers are caught round your ankles, but i think i got away with it and did my best to appear calm and relaxed whilst staring down at the cold and muddy River Tees bubbling 160 feet below.

I was informed that (in order to prevent me from looking like a complete girls blouse) i would need to jump on the word 'bungee' when the guy shouted 3-2-1 BUNGEEEEE!!!!!! So that's exactly what i did . . . . . .

The rest is a complete blur, about 2 seconds later i was bouncing up and down screaming at the top of my lungs after the most amazing adrenalin rush and actually a pretty mellow feeling jump. I'd expected it to feel incredibly fast and then a jolt as i reached the bottom but, in fact, it was quite a smooth (but awesome) sensation. The boat swiftly collected me and removed the bungee cord and delivered me to the quayside where Alwyn and Dave were waiting, camera's in hand. Now, to clarify how lovely these two men are, they travelled 7 hours in the car in treacherous snow conditions with ME driving, stood about in the cold while i jumped off a bridge AND captured it all in photo and video, Dave provided post-jump champagne and THEN they even made polite conversation with Grandma when we stopped off for tea and cake at the farm in Huddersfield. It must have been the 'breakfast in a bap' at Ann's Diner that made it all worth while ;o)

Next stop is the Pembrokeshire Half Marathon on March 27th where i will be joined by my friends Manu and Ken of the Bodnant Curry Dads and an old school friend i haven't seen since Horringer Court Middle School, Trevor Burgess. In the meantime, expect a YouTube video of the jump in due course, although it may have to be rated 12A (sorry - potty mouth).

Special thanks; to Sally for supporting me through chemo and again through Marti-thon 2010; to Alwyn and Dave - road trip buddies; to the super-professional staff at the UK Bungee club and to everyone who has contributed to the £861.20 raised so far . . . .