Meet the Sandals team scaling the Saint Vincent and the Grenadines volcanic peaks for charity

It’s all about the preparation and training. While the training and the event itself will be extremely hard mentally and physically, it’s important to remember the reasons we’re taking on this challenge when the tough times inevitably come.

This year’s challenge will be different as we are including a brand new sport – sea kayaking. The challenge won’t be as strenuous on our legs as last year, but it will test us in other ways. We have some really tough hills to conquer in Saint Vincent, not to mention an active volcano!

Refuelling will be key as we’ll consume a lot of energy, with 11 kilometres of sea kayaking followed by a 15 kilometre run on two days, back-to-back. The heat and humidity in the Caribbean will also be a challenge.

After last year’s event, I took a month off before training for the Manchester marathon in April followed by an ultra-marathon in June. I tweaked my training a bit to try to keep in shape. It’s been a case of training hard, recovering well and allowing myself a few indulgences as rewards. Thinking back to the reason why we’re doing this challenge – to raise money for children in the Caribbean – is also a big motivator.

It feels right for us to be giving back to the communities we operate in. The monies raised will go to help so many causes on the islands that it will have positive generational impacts.

Seeing the difference we made to children’s lives in Antigua with the equipment that the Sandals Foundation was able to buy for the paediatric unit was heartening. Our sponsors and partners have been extremely generous, and we’ve got a team of athletes that are excited to tackle this challenge head on.

Graeme Saunders, senior manager, groups and MICE.

The whole team feels an enormous sense of responsibility. We’re raising money for such an important cause. I am naturally self-motivated, but having my friends, family and colleagues cheering me on has definitely helped, as well as thinking about the children who will benefit.

The backing we’ve had is the same – if not more – than last year which is incredible. Four of us from Unique Vacations UK are tackling the challenge, but the support from everyone in the business has been outstanding. We’re also hugely grateful for the support of our partners, including TTG, for helping us raise awareness.

It’s not just people in travel; we’ve had words of encouragement and generous sponsorship from all sectors. There’s a real sense of community within the UK team and with others involved in organising on the island, from the coast guard to the resort team and even the ministry of health.

I am really looking forward to having local participants involved. This year, each participant from the UK will have a local "buddy" with them for all four days. On day three, the half marathon around Saint Vincent’s mainland, there will be a community event held on the old airport runway for local people to attend. It will be a family fun day organised by the ministry of health and supported by the Sandals Foundation to educate young people about sports and encourage them to keep active.

The unknown is the most daunting part, as it’s a very different event to Island Run – Antigua 2023. I haven’t done much sea kayaking before, especially over such long distances. We won’t know much about the coastal conditions each day, especially the waves, current and wind. When I visited Saint Vincent and the Grenadines for a recce, I hiked up the volcano, La Soufriere, so I know that’s achievable.

This will be a physically and mentally demanding challenge for me, but it’ll be worth it.

Karl Thompson, managing director.