- Ingrid Avidon has completed her first 12 of extreme challenges, 'Everesting' the Westcliff stairs to help sponsor development athletes.
- January 15 and 16 saw the athlete ascend and descend the Westcliff stairs 177 times in almost 30 hours beating her target of 30 hours.
- The goal was to reach the exact altitude of Mount Everest in 30 hours. Her next challenge is the War Trial Challenge in February.
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Ingrid Avidon ascended and descended the Westcliff stairs, Johannesburg, 177 times marking the beginning of her 12-month extreme adventure challenge. A challenge believed to be the first of its kind, especially for a woman, entails her completing one extreme challenge for each month of this year.
On January 15 and 16 she interchanged between walking and running up and down the Westcliff stairs. Her goal was to accumulate the 8,848 m altitude of Mount Everest on one condition - she could not sleep. Each lap of the stairs situated in the suburb of Randburg is a 52m ascent.
The former physiology lecturer from the University of the Witwatersrand has spent her life entering a countless number of challenges. This 12 x12 Challenge allows her to sponsor women who are extreme and endurance development athletes who do not have sufficient access to infrastructure, resources, and support. Throughout the first challenge Avidon was accepting sponsorships for Omphile Motaung she will be doing this throughout the 11 remaining months with other young women.
For the next 11 months. the also author, will take on the War Trail Challenge, the Race2Cradock, the Race2Willomore, the Iron Man Gqeberha, Indoor Rowing, the Freedom Challenge Triathlon, the 13 Peaks Challenge, the Robben Island Swim, the Fish River Canoe Marathon, the Drakensberg Grand Traverse, and the Surfski Race PE2 East London.
She based her selection of challenges because of their ability to test one's ability to take on extreme sports with endurance. The War Trail Challenge, in the northern region of the Eastern Cape calls daring mavericks to take part in the four-day adventure to commence on February 18, 2022. The challenge is split into three stages: 60km run or hike, 120km mountain bike, and finally a 60km paddle.
Avidon documented her entire 'Everesting' Westcliff Challenge on Instagram, take a look:
The 'Everesting' challenge began at 06:00 on January 15.
'Nkosi sikelela…'
At 08:30 Avidon had completed 18 flights of stairs
30 flights down at 4 hours Avidon receives a much-needed roll-out.
At 5 hours she completed 33 flights of stairs with 25 more hours to go.
At 13:44 with 50 flights completed averaging 9 minutes per flight. She maintained this average through her 60th lap.
By 22:30 she reached 100 flights with only 77 to go.
January 16 at 00:30, 18 hours and 30 minutes into the challenge she had a hard-earned 110 flights.
Tight squeeze...
... she might need a bigger ice bath next time.
With 170 flights done and dusted 7 were remaining on Sunday morning at 09:04.
This too shall pass...
Avidon is joined by her supporters with only 5 flights remaining.
Beating the 30-hour mark, Avidon finished off the challenge in 28 hours and 4 seconds.
