The Everest Challenge

A fundraiser for First Steps Pregnancy Support

On August 27th 2022, Chris van der Spek successfully completed an Everest Challenge with 40 repetitions of Mt Ainslie in Canberra, completed in 16 hours. He raised awareness for First Steps Pregnancy Support, as well as $11,215 to help them get established in the Queanbeyan Region.  A big thanks to Chris for his support.

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The Everest Challenge

A fundraiser for First Steps Pregnancy Support

On August 27th 2022, Chris van der Spek successfully completed an Everest Challenge with 40 repetitions of Mt Ainslie in Canberra, completed in 16 hours. He raised awareness for First Steps Pregnancy Support, as well as $11,215 to help them get established in the Queanbeyan Region.  A big thanks to Chris for his support.

* All donations over $2 are tax deductible

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Motherhood is a journey that requires physical and emotional resilience.

It pushes you to go beyond what you ever thought you could cope with or achieve. For those women who start out with the world against them, the prospect of becoming a mother is more daunting than climbing the highest mountain. It takes a team of people who believe in them, cheer them on, train them physically and mentally to be able to take on the challenge, and who are there beside them every step of the way.  This is the role First Steps Pregnancy Support seeks to have in the lives of vulnerable pregnant women and those with unexpected pregnancies who are struggling to find a way forward. 

Men may find it difficult to understand the enormity of the challenges a woman faces in becoming a mother. However, local cycling enthusiast Christopher van der Spek is going to try. To symbolically represent the struggle, he is going to ride up ‘Everest’. In doing so he will also be raising money to help these women access the comprehensive support and relational care they need to equip them to become confident and capable mothers. 

$11,215 raised

of $8,849

*updated daily

Who

I am Christopher van der Spek, a Canberra local that loves cycling and is passionate about supporting meaningful causes. I remember being inspired as a young boy watching the Tour de France. Since I owned my first road bike as a teenager, I have loved to ride hard and far, testing my own physical and mental limits. 

whAT

To raise funds for First Steps Pregnancy Support, I will be attempting an Everest Challenge on Mount Ainslie in Canberra. This will involve cycling up and down Mount Ainslie 39 times in one go, in order to ascend the equivalent elevation of Mount Everest - 8,849m. This will take 12 – 15 hours. I am aiming to raise one dollar for every metre that I climb. 

WhEN

Conditions permitting, I will be attempting the Everest Challenge for First Steps Pregnancy Support on Saturday the 27th of August 2022. I will be starting at 5:30am and aim to finish before 8pm on the day.

I am passionate about using my cycling to support worthy causes.

  In recent years I have taken part in the annual Great Cycle challenge several times and raised thousands of dollars to support kids through their battle with cancer. Motivated by my desire to support climate action, I have been riding to work for the past 4 years, enabling my wife and I to own only one car, and preventing some 21 tonnes of CO2 emissions. When I heard my sister was a part of the team establishing First Steps Pregnancy Support, I knew that I wanted to do something meaningful to contribute.

What better way to help support women who are facing the seemingly insurmountable challenges of motherhood, than by riding up an actual mountain over and over!

How can you support?

Please consider giving generously to help First Steps Pregnancy Support take their first steps in supporting vulnerable pregnant women in our community.

$8,849 sounds like a lot of money to raise, but with each of you giving what you can, we can get there!

If you are in the area, come and say hi on the day. And if you are also a keen cyclist, bring your bike and join me for as many repetitions as you like!