Caldecott Teacher Takes On 'The Wall'

A Caldecott Foundation teacher is tackling a mighty physical challenge to boost fundraising for new facilities for the children’s charity.

Peter Lane, Lead Teacher from Caldecott’s education services in the East Midlands has signed up for ‘The Wall’ – a 69 mile endurance event that spans the length of Hadrian’s Wall.

“I used to be a sprinter many years ago and played a lot of football, but getting older, I realised I couldn’t do these sports to the same ability that I used to”, says Peter.  “So I challenged myself to try distance running.  I joined a local running club and found that the running community is so friendly and supportive.  I believe running helps me to do my job better.  Last year I turned 40 and my Mum and Dad wanted to mark it with a special gift so they bought me entry to ‘The Wall’.

“It starts at 7am inside Carlisle Castle and you have until 9am the next morning to reach the other side of the millennium bridge in Newcastle, so you have 26 hours to complete the course.  I love physical challenges and I believe this is the kind of challenge I’ll remember forever.”

Peter joined the Caldecott Foundation in 2015 and says his job is extremely rewarding.

“I absolutely love my job and the best part is the time you get with the young people.  We have small groups following personalised education programmes, so you get to know the pupils really well and have the opportunity to make a big difference in their lives.  As a PE specialist I love playing sport with the young people and I’ve often taken them on runs as part of PE, as I’ve seen the benefits it can have on their mental and physical health.”

Peter and his team are currently fundraising for improvements to Caldecott’s outdoor learning space in the East Midlands – developing a small wooded area with benches and seating; cargo nets; tarpaulin covers and play equipment.

“We want to take the young people outside of the classroom as much as possible, where they are happier and more relaxed and in turn, learn better”, says Peter.  “We would also like to get the tools and materials together for the young people to do more gardening and horticulture as well as build bug hotels, bird boxes and complete other nature projects.”

Peter’s training has not been without eventuality but he says it’s simply the distance he’ll need to cover in “The Wall” that will make this his toughest challenge to date.

“Training was going great until I twisted my ankle quite badly, running down a mountain in the Lake District.  My Achilles still hurts after every run as a result!  Then just as I was upping my mileage again, I developed a chest infection over Christmas and hardly ran at all during January.  But I’ve managed to catch up a lot since then.  And I really do take strength and inspiration from the young people I work with when completing my long runs.  When I think about some of the challenges that they have faced and are facing, running when your legs are sore seems easy.

“The winner of ‘The Wall’ will probably complete the course in around ten hours… but these people aren’t human!  There are pit stops along the way but to complete the course in time, you can’t stop for long.  So, the biggest challenge will be putting one foot in front of the other when all you want to do is sit down!  I’ve no idea how long it’ll take me as this kind of distance is uncharted territory as far as I’m concerned – this is the longest run I’ll have completed by far.”

Now, with the countdown to ‘The Wall’ well underway, Peter can’t wait to get stuck in.

“I’m really excited!  I know it’s going to be tough but it’s going to be a great adventure where I’ll have to push myself harder than I ever have done before.  I’ve been showing some of my pupils the route and they’ve been really supportive and keen to help me train by making me do all the running when we play football.  One pupil even thinks I’ll win!  I explained to him I’ll be a long way behind the winner to which he replied ‘You just need to believe in yourself a bit more!’”

To support Peter’s fundraising challenge please click here.