Welcome to the my first Blog on Everest 2011 – The climb for hope.  Thanks for those people who signed up already online.  I hope over the next few months to keep you (at the very least) entertained by the goings on with my preparations for the upcoming climb.

The last three weeks has been a crazy time.  Meeting with sponsors, potential sponsors, training for 1.5 hours minimum on a daily basis, writing articles, creating the website, travelling to India and Canada, working on the upcoming SCC seven’s rugby competition (which I am on the organizing committee), planning for our upcoming wedding in December 20^th in New Zealand, packing to move house in two weeks time…… you probably get the point!!!

A lot has changed in the last three weeks, I am now firmly committed to Everest 2011.  Three weeks ago I was still in the frame of mind ‘I don’t have enough money to go, so I better not tell too many people until I can raise enough sponsorship $$’.  But then I realized – to raise sponsorhip money you need publicity.  It’s the chicken or the egg scenario!   So I know that I need to give Everest 100% commitment, starting from now, if I am going to have any chance of success. 

I am pleased to say the training is coming along very well already.  Darren Blakely from UFIT has been a godsend.  We train together in the gym 3 times per week (normally over lunchtime) at FITNESS FIRST FUSIONOPOLIS.  These sessions give me a time to forget about the 101 things going through my head and lose myself in the simplicity of some honest physical toil for an hour or more.  It is very refreshing and I really look forward to the sessions.  I can stop thinking for 1.5 hours and let Darren take complete control of the session.  My body is not used to doing leg weights however.  I have been mainly doing long slow runs for the past 6 months.  Hence my legs/bum/calves etc have been getting very sore from the initial workouts.   Two long runs a week, my first UFIT (Black and Blue) running session, a rockclimb at Bukit Timah and a stair session this week have seen me sleeping very well at nights!

Sponsorship is my biggest hurdle currently. I am very lucky to have signed on FITNESS FIRST, UFIT and thePRelement, however I still have a long way to go.  Expat Living Magazine will also sign on as a partner next week and with a run of articles in their monthly print magazine of 18,000.  So this is great exposure for the trip.

The website was a little bit of a nightmare this week.  It was only half finished when I sent the link to one of the sponsors to give them an idea what it looked like.  They thought it was the finished product so published the link online, and I had 500 hits in the first 48 hours! So I was working like crazy trying to get it up to a respectable level which I hope it is now at.

I am also still trying to narrow down a local Singapore based charity which supports underprivileged children.  I have met with three so far in Singapore and have not managed to finalise anything as yet.  If you know of any charities which you think may fit in well with the expedition, (they must support children from underprivileged backgrounds), then  please email me (rawly@singnet.com.sg).

This weekend see’s me running in the NORTH FACE run, I will be doing the 25km run only, (nice and slowly) on Saturday morning, followed by reffing and playing touch rugby in the afternoon.  It will be a big day! 

Until the next blog – over and out.