{"id":45089,"date":"2021-01-28T15:19:30","date_gmt":"2021-01-28T15:19:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.www.berkhamsted.com\/?p=45089"},"modified":"2022-08-07T16:10:25","modified_gmt":"2022-08-07T16:10:25","slug":"epic-lockdown-challenge-sees-berko-virtually-travel-around-the-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.berkhamsted.com\/epic-lockdown-challenge-sees-berko-virtually-travel-around-the-world\/","title":{"rendered":"Epic lockdown challenge sees Berko virtually travel around the world"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\t\n\n
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An Around the World sporting challenge has taken Berkhamsted School by storm during lockdown. Crafted by the Senior School PE Department, pupils throughout the whole school aged 3 to 18 were set the target of 40,075km in 14 days. Pupils used their daily exercise to locally run, walk, cycle or register a personal contribution by any means possible.<\/span><\/p>\n

California here we come<\/h3>\n

The combined effort was tracked to have reached New Zealand (19,000km) in just seven 7 days. By day 9 they\u2019d arrived in California. There were no immigration visas to worry about, and sadly there was no sign of any West Coast climate. By the final weekend of the challenge there was just 3,000k to go, about the distance between the eastern tip of Canada and Berkhamsted.<\/p>\n

From frozen Atlantic to the outback of Australia<\/h3>\n

Local weather conditions turned during the last day of the challenge. Was the huge flurry of snow going to prevent TeamBerko from crossing the Atlantic? Certainly not! Remarkably, a further 18km was clocked up on the final weekend. The final total reached 54,975km. Enough to circumnavigate the globe and then travel to central Australia!<\/p>\n

Breath-taking achievement<\/h3>\n

\u201cI think it was a brilliant achievement for the school to total over 54,000km\u2019s. It\u2019s a pretty breath-taking number of metres to think about… But the fact that the School surpassed the target number just shows the hardened spirit of the School, from Nursery all the way to the Sixth Form. It\u2019s a great achievement to have made in difficult times\u201d said Casper (Year 12).\u201d<\/p>\n

House moving motivation<\/h3>\n

Casper individually added 302km to the total. He started with a few 13km runs, then switched his schedule to high intensity cycling. Head of House Mr Graham Burchnall<\/a> <\/strong>was hot on his heels, motivating him with a personal contest between staff and student. Mr Burchnall eventually completed 282.83km and provided exceptional support for all in his House, Reeves.<\/p>\n

After completing Land\u2019s End to John O\u2019Groats to raise money for Parkinson\u2019s UK,<\/strong><\/a> the Chiltern Hills posed no threat to Casper, but the winter conditions were an extra challenge to contend with.<\/p>\n

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Longing for the muddy rugby pitches<\/h3>\n

\u201cOn the runs I was slipping over a lot and getting caked in mud, but that was a little burst of nostalgia that took my mind back to the rugby pitch – which I hold very close to my heart. On the watt bike I\u2019d begin to sweat so much that it was practically simulated rain! But that wasn\u2019t too bad… Then finally on the road bike we got fairly lucky with the weather, apart from the biting cold.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think everyone in the school should be proud of what they\u2019ve achieved. To go out and push yourself out of your comfort zone, whether that\u2019s just getting out the house for a jog or testing your limits, all those individual totals added up to the bigger picture.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wellbeing boost<\/h3>\n

In just 14 days Ellie (Year 11) accomplished 208km. The majority of her distance was achieved by running and topped up with some walking and rowing. Ellie has enjoyed the raised level of exercise especially during these uncertain times. She believes that the PE Department challenge has helped keep many at Berkhamsted Girls motivated which is a huge boost for mental wellbeing.<\/p>\n

Aiming High and Serving Others<\/h3>\n

The Around the World challenge is a fine example of the school values of aiming high with integrity, being adventurous and serving others.<\/p>\n

Some pupils combined the sporting endeavour with a fundraising campaign for charity. Bartrum House began fundraising for Florence Nightingale Hospice in Aylesbury in December. They hope to raise \u00a32,000 to help fund the best end-of-life care and services to local people who need it most.<\/p>\n

Arthur (Year 7) of Bartum led the way by completing 242km\u2013 the greatest distance of all pupils at Berkhamsted Boys. He originally set out to cycle 5km per day on his exercise bike, but he ended up achieving much more.\u00a0 He could maintain speeds of over 15km per hour.<\/p>\n

Bartrum House JustGiving page<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Berkhamsted School Serving others during Covid-19<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Heatherton take on the Chilterns<\/h3>\n

The girls at Heatherton know and endorse the School\u2019s value of aiming high with integrity. They set out to achieve the greatest distance possible between them. They ran, walked and cycled through most of the Chiltern area surrounding Amersham. Their dedication to the challenge was hugely impressive.<\/p>\n

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We are so impressed with how active the Heatherton pupils have been for the #berkoaroundtheworld<\/a> challenge. They have travelled 1199km! That’s about the distance of Amersham to Spain. \ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddf8<\/p>\n

Now for the final stretch! pic.twitter.com\/lf1V6W2KyC<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Heatherton (@HeathertonSch) January 22, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n