On friday the 23rd of July 2004, a team of 10 Karate students from the Shindo Kai Karate Association, which was made up of students from the Barnsley Karate Centre, Penistone Karate Club & Scissett Karate Club, set of to walk the full distance of Britain in under 2 weeks. We set off from John o Groats in the far right of Scotland and travelled 1,050 miles to Lands End in Cornwall.
The team was split into 5 groups consisting of two people in each group. Two people walked 4 miles, then changed over to another two people who will also walk 4 miles. The mini bus will travel down the road exactly 4 miles and wait for the walkers to arrive and the change over will take place again, this cycle was continued for 24 hours a day non stop through the day and night. We eat, slept and travelled in the mini bus for 2 weeks. Each person walked around 20 miles a day for 14 days.
Throughout the day time we walked in our karate suits and rattling the tins as we travel down. We were at first going to attempt it bare footed but due to the chance of someone picking up a cut foot and putting them out of action, we decided to wear training shoes so at least we all hope to complete the challenge and raise as much money as possible.
The charities we are raising money for are the Marie Curie Cancer Care , Candle Lighters Children’s Cancer Care and local charities, the money will be split between these charities so everyone gets a slice of the monies raised. Over the years the students of the Shindo Kai Karate association has raised well over £32,000 for different charities and we hope that this challenge will raise more that we ever have before. Over the years we have demolished a barn with hands and feet, performed 250,000 punches in one hour, done a 12 hour non stop training session, countless sit up and press up records, but this is the real tester for us all.. Our target was £5,000 but by the end of the challenge we raised a magnificent £11,500.
In July 2005 to complete the challenge the same team plus Joice Tumman and Michelle Holmes walked from new biggin by the sea just north of Newcastle, along Hadrians wall to Gretna Green. A total distance of 92 Miles. This was walked in relays as in the John o grotes to Lands end walk. It took the team just 22 hours of none stop walking, we raised £3,000 for local Charities and Cancer care. We have now walked from North to South and east to west in karate suits and raised a total of £15,000 from the two challenges and raising a final total of £35,000 over the years.
The End To Enders
(People who do the challenge are offically called the End to Enders!)
Names of the End to Enders.
John Tumman, Dave Holmes, Maxine Rooney, Alice Gray, Richard Sainsbury, Ian Tetley, Mandy Thorpe, Phil Newing, John Adair, Lisa Lacon
Team Shindo Kai
Capital 3 Challenge
1,000-mile bike challenge in 5 days!
What was the challenge?
On Saturday the 21st of July 2007, a team of 10 cycled 1,000 miles in 4 days, that is 250 miles every 24 hours. The team consisted of men & women who are from the Shindo kai Karate Association, they ranged from Kyu grade to Dan grades. They set off from Barnsley Town Hall at 10.00 am Saturday the 21st of July and cycled to Scotland & has photographs outside Edinburgh Castle.
Then moved South on a 400 mile Journey to Cardiff’s millennium stadium, we moved east cross the seven bridge and went to Buckingham palace in central London, then up north to good old Yorkshire and back to Barnsley, finishing on Wednesday the 25th July 5.22 am. (3 capitals, DONE!)
A team of 2 riders set off and travel 10 miles in hopefully 1 hour. The support van would travel 10 miles down the road, park up and wait for the riders to come in, the next 2 riders will take over the bicycles and they too will travel 10 miles, this rotates 24 hours a day. We sleep in the van whenever we can; we bike through the night non-stop for 4 days (120 Hours). It actually took us 91 hours and 22 mins.
Who were in the team?
John Tumman 6th Dan & chief instructor to shindo kai, Joice Tumman Johns wife and 1st Dan, Richard Sainsbury 1st Dan, Lisa Bates 1st Dan, Craig Burke 3rd Dan and Paul Newby 2nd Dan are all Instructors with in Shindo Kai Steve Addy, Simon Weigold, Paul Mc Nicholas, Keith hill are all kyu grade students.
Why are we doing it?
I ask myself the same question at 6.30 am when I’m on the bike in the pouring rain training!. Over the years we have walked from John O Grotes to lands end and raised £12,000, then we walked from Newcastle to Gretna Green in 22 hours, Both events Traditional Karate covered. While our knees are still up to it we would like to raise as much money for charities as possible before time takes its toll on our joints and we have to call it a day.
What are the charities?
Some are local charities like hospice and local kids that are terminally ill, others are national Charities like Marie curie cancer care or the Jane Tomlinson Appeal, & also the karate clubs themselves will get sponsorship for equipment for the students to help their training. In total our group has raised £44,000 over the years and still going strong thanks to individual & corporate donations. We always get good press & radio coverage whenever we take on a sponsored event.
How much did we raise this time?
As a group we raised £9,000, bringing our total for all our sponsored events over the years to £44,000!
Who has helped us?
Our own karate students, Family’s, friends & Work colleges have donated to the cause. We also would like to thank the following business that have donated equipment; Karate kids, Asda, , Blackford Sports, O Dwyer’s public house, Next, Leeds Building society. Darton Van hire. KIT for the bikes and SYP for Diesel.
All we asked for in our prayers was; NO RAIN, NO INJURIES, well we had no injuries but plenty of rain, in fact it rained every day! we did the challenge when the great floods came upon us down south, it was a night mare. Getting up at 3.00 am to put your water proof gear on and cycle 10 miles in cold wet rain, the water got through every thing and we were soaked to the bone. No one could dry their gear and we had 10 people in a 12 seater mini bus. The smell was awful but being true karate ka we got on with it. No one moaned about injuries or the conditions I was very impressed by everyone’s resolve, shindo kai’s motto is ‘winners never quit, quitters never win’ how true this team lived up to those words.
Back row left to right; Steve Addy, Joice Tumman, Paul Newby, John Tumman (ME!), Craig Burke, Simon Weigold,Paul McNicholas Front Left to right;Richard Sainsbury (Ming), Lisa Bates, Keith Hill
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