PHUKET: Phuket resident Les Bird is a man who takes pleasure in pain, and a man who has been praying for rain so he can test out his new Size 14 waterproof hiking boots.

The 59-year-old plans to climb Mont Blanc – Europe’s highest and most deadly mountain – in July, and hopes to raise one million baht for needy Phuket children in the process.

A veteran Ironman triathlete, Les has been making his Phuket training increasingly tough for himself in recent weeks, adding more weights to his hiking bag, running three times consecutively up to the Big Buddha in the Nakkerd Hills, cycling 150 kilometers a day and swimming with a weight belt off Bang Tao – all in preparation for his Alpine ascent.

Earlier this month, Les ventured to Lantau Island, Hong Kong, for a break at his holiday home.

Most mornings he took a leisurely 934-meter hike to Lantau Peak, interspersed with a light 20-kilometer run and a spot of technical climbing on cliff faces, taking the odd breather

via Phuket Gazette

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