Darren Grigas – Adventure Athlete
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  • 17th November 2019 Adventures, Blog, Challenges, Featured  1

    A world-first 127 mile foot-crossing over the 55 million year old Namib

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  • 9th March 2018 Adventures, Blog, Challenges, Featured, Race reviews  1

    100 miles of ice!

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  • 7th April 2017 Blog, Challenges, Race reviews  3

    14 hours in the hands of the Special Forces

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  • 29th September 2016 Adventures, Blog, Challenges, Race reviews  Like

    Running the inaugural Cape Wrath Ultra, a truly Beautiful Behemoth

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PSHE

Blog, Motivational talks

2nd February 2020

Talking to the children of Fulbridge Academy

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Blog, Motivational talks

21st May 2019

An invite to Buckingham Palace

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Adventures, Blog, Challenges, Featured

17th November 2019

A world-first 127 mile foot-crossing over the 55 million year old Namib

...

Read more

Adventures, Blog, Challenges, Featured, Race reviews

9th March 2018

100 miles of ice!

...

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Blog, Challenges, Race reviews

7th April 2017

14 hours in the hands of the Special Forces

...

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Blog, Motivational talks

3rd November 2016

Talking at the Palace

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Adventures, Blog, Challenges, Race reviews

29th September 2016

Running the inaugural Cape Wrath Ultra, a truly Beautiful Behemoth

...

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Blog, Making a Difference

29th September 2016

Cathedral abseil for its 900th birthday, yes please!

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  • PSHE

    2nd February 2020

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    Talking to the children of Fulbridge Academy

  • 21st May 2019

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    An invite to Buckingham Palace

  • 3rd November 2016

     1 2025

    Talking at the Palace

  • 29th September 2016

     1 1781

    Cathedral abseil for its 900th birthday, yes please!

  • 29th September 2016

     1 2024

    £26,000+ – Amazing support for Rory and family.

  • 23rd September 2016

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    Guest Speaker: Duke of Edinburgh Awards at TDA

  • 4th August 2016

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    Guest Speaking at Duke of Edinburgh Awards – Peterborough Town...

  • 27th January 2016

     1 2706

    Dumball – It’s a Goa!

  • 27th January 2016

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    Individual Fundraiser of the Year! – £18,000 for Anna’s Hope

  • 27th January 2016

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    Jools Holland Fairies for Anna’s Hope

  • 30th September 2015

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    Prince’s Trust Motivational Talk

  • 18th August 2012

     1 2045

    Pride in Peterborough Awards

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Darren Grigas

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Well that was as horrible as I anticipated. Murph Well that was as horrible as I anticipated. Murph. 🥵 The workout: A 1-mile run, followed by 100 pullups, 200 pushups, and 300 unweighted squats, followed by another 1-mile run. In its most elite form, athletes complete it while wearing a 20-pound weight vest, (I'm no where near ready for that yet). The badasses do them all in one go, but it's permitted for us 'amateurs' to break them up into sets. So I went for sets of 20 pushups, 10 pullups and 30 squats. (Even that was optimistic) I'm an ultra-runner, not a crossfitter or military machine, this is not my happy place, but I paid it a visit out of morbid curiosity and to give myself a kick up the arse. A couple of years ago when I was having regular gym sessions I would have found this 'a bit' easier, but these days, aside from occasional pushups, I pretty much stick to long steady runs or rides, so I'm conditioned for endurance more than power. This isn't playing to my strengths other than having the right mindset to keep going. I'm strict with myself and my form and don't know the Crossfit techniques so stuck with what I know. Push-ups: shoulders lower than elbows, squats: hips below knees, and chin to/over the bar with straight pulls-ups. None of those 2 inches up and down, forehead towards the floor pushups. I stubbornly discounted a few poor pull-up reps despite desperately wanting it to be over. Pull-ups were definitely my weakness, after 20, I was down to sets of 5 at a time, and finally to just 1-2 at a time for the very painful final 30 which took about 10 minutes alone. I need to learn this kipping thing I've heard about. So it took way longer than I hoped but I got it done. I now have a target to beat. I know of friends who have done this 20-30 minutes faster than this and the elite do it in less than half the time 🤯 kudos to those guys!, This is their discipline and another world to mine. I like to have a crack though, and now I have something to work towards. I'll get those pullups nailed and see how many chunks I can knock off in 2-3 weeks time. MURPH done. Not pretty or impressive, but done. #murph #wod #newchallenge #hurtlikehell #themurphchallenge #ineedfood
This place will stick with me forever, for both go This place will stick with me forever, for both good and bad reasons. Life is so fragile and can be taken in seconds. We often get too busy being busy, that we forget to stop and enjoy the here and now, to be grateful for the things we do have, the things we can do, to go out and chase those exciting dreams we've talked about for years but never got around to. This whole lockdown business, has given many people the opportunity to slow down and appreciate the little things, take time out and stop fretting about so much "stuff" that clutters our lives. Time is the most valuable commodity we have. Use it wisely, share a smile, make great memories, don't waste a single day if you can help it. Tick a box off your bucket list, and when you've ticked it, chase down another.
Whilst cycling across Patagonia, among the most in Whilst cycling across Patagonia, among the most incredible sights was that of the Andean Condors flying overhead. The largest flying bird in the world, with a wingspan of up to 3.3m! 🤯 Back home I'm impressed enough by the kites and buzzards. The video by no way does it justice or captures the awe of such a huge beast flying over. (Swipe right to see a photo showing just how massive these birds are up close). We saw a fair few of them along this stretch of the route, the wings were like a pair of sleeping bags gliding by, it was amazing to see. Some would casually perch upon nearby rocks, standing up to 4ft tall, watching us random humans peddling past on our wheeled machines. This adventure was another amazing recce, as I worked with @ratracehq fine tuning the next addition to their epic #bucketlistseries. Check out ratracebucketlist.com for some awesome footage from Namibia, Patagonia, Panama, Mongolia and the lost is growing, it makes me want to go back! (Save yourself a few quid with code GRIGAS150 too, you're welcome 😉) I've been really lucky to work with the Rat Race team @sandbaggers10 who are all meticulous in creating truly amazing experiences in some of the most awe inspiring places on the planet... These truly are bucket list experiences, or in their own words 'Race Bucket List, a collection of extraordinary adventures in ‘way out there’ locations around the Globe' #patagonia #ratracebucketlist #condor #cycling #ridetheworld #glaciertoglacier #ratracers #ultramarathon #ultrarunning #ultrarunner #adventure #travel #adventurer
Rioting is the language of the unheard. As this g Rioting is the language of the unheard. As this guy puts it; There has to be a better way. He hopefully just saved that kid's life. Reposted from @tombilyeu Fuck... this is raw. Made me emotional. Thank you for sharing @themostfamousartist
If you stay ready, you don't have to get ready. 💪🏼👊🏼🍩🏃‍♀️🏃‍♂️ A tough finish to a 68 mile week - with a 45lb loaded run on tired legs, fueled by profiteroles and home baked goodies. Not fast or far, but worth it. With so many events cancelled, it's easy to lose your training mojo. I had a few lazy weeks myself since tearing a couple of tendons in my ankle in late November and it was difficult to get that mojo back even once I was able to run again. Make yourself accountable to others and it'll give you that extra nudge to get out and do it. I've got a brilliant group of legends excited and training towards my next Wales Endurance Weekend which should have been happening right now pre-pandemic shutdown. I now have to stay ready so as to lead by example and the group are all over it, training hard and keeping me on my toes! We're all raring to go and taking this delay as bonus training time, but hoping July could see Wales letting us in, whenever the gates open, we'll be ready! darrengrigas.com/wales Find your mojo by challenging friends, or committing to something on the nearest horizon. @sarahjk1828 @sarajpx @selfdefencecoach @pookiepoo1984 @jolambe01 @r.d.bright #stayready #trainhard #keeptraining #runforcake #runforbeer #bergenrunners #loadstone #challengeyourself #weekendrun
We're all fighting our own battles, but there is g We're all fighting our own battles, but there is great reward and empowerment in helping others, no matter how big or small that help may be. This feature details a little something we've been able to do during lockdown at @stamford_stays Riverside Apartments. We can all help someone today and every day in one way or another. Fetching shopping, making a call to check on someone, talking and more importantly, listening to others, we all have something to give. Reposted from @stamford_stays Huge thanks to @rutland_and_stamford_mercury for such a nice feature about us being part of the #staysforheroes initiative from @eviivo during lockdown. Within government guidelines we have been running a non-profit scheme to accommodate @nhs and key workers, first responders and to those stuck between homes. Whilst we're just keeping our heads above water utilising available grants and loans, we were in a position to help and knew it was the right thing to do. We always pride ourselves on the cleanliness and appearance of the apartments, and strive to have them 'showhome clean' for every single guest arriving. We are proud of our consistently high scoring reviews online across all channels such as @bookingcom & @airbnb and direct feedback from guests many of whom return again and again. For regular holidaymakers and visitors to Stamford, we're offering BUY NOW STAY LATER vouchers, with huge discounts and no need to commit to dates. (See previous posts for details). #staysforheroes #nhs #visitstamford #stamford #servicedapartments #stamfordstays #ukholidays #staycation #keyworkers #stamfordliving #riversideapartments
Finally! I've been meaning to run to the coast fro Finally! I've been meaning to run to the coast from here since I moved into my current home over seven years ago, and on a spur of the moment decision after seeing a friend had cycled there and back, today turned out to be the day. It wasn't a race, just a nice comfy mobile picnic and Fenland Safari tour. I wasn't 100% sure of the route, so missed a few turns, but it was a lovely route all the way, definitely a winner for the cyclists and much of it was part of the National Cycle Route too. It was great enough to reach the sea, but to top it off, @sarahjk1828 drove out to collect me and brought a very welcome cold beer too, winning!! For those wanting to push themselves further on their runs, don't feel pressured to be quick, to race or break yourself, you'll easily lose the enjoyment. An adventure run can take as long as you like, walk a bit, eat a bit, take photos of cows a bit. I even had a couple of video calls on the way. Enjoy the miles, get there when you get there! #spontaneousrun #runtothesea #bucketlistrun #longslowrun #explore #sundayrunday #runforbeer
Next time I sneak a selfie with David Mitchell in Next time I sneak a selfie with David Mitchell in Buckingham Palace (rumbled by the staff behind us), I'll try not to accidentally have all the filters turned up full whack so it looks like we're a pair of water colour characters. A couple of years back I was invited to speak at the Palace for the @dofeuk awards, which was a great experience. Hopefully they'll still take me back after this 👀 I don't get the whole filters thing being able to go so extreme that you don't even look like yourself. 🤷‍♂️ and then there's dog noses, butterflies and bunny ears, all fun, but there are some who never post photos without them, so you don't even know what that person really looks like without an animal mask on, unless they wear them in real life perhaps?! Maybe I'll try a dog nose selfie with Prince Edward on my next royal appointment. 🐶 #davidmitchell #buckinhampalace #publicspeaker #keynotespeaker #schoolspeaker #dofeaustralia #dofeuk
Nice to have a relaxing day full of tea and treats Nice to have a relaxing day full of tea and treats, oh and maybe some wine, cider and champagne to wash down the cakes and barbecue lunch of course. #athlete 👀 🌭🍔🍰🥧🍪🍩🍾🍺🍷 It's been a poignant but uplifting day as the air raid siren went off before and after the 2-minute silence. We then watched Churchill's speech and toasted those who sacrificed so much for us. Too many too easily forget how lucky we are to live in this era. #veday #villagelife #veday75 #stayhomesavelives
My village is like a step back in time on any give My village is like a step back in time on any given day, but today on VE Day it's going to be exceptional. Within current guidelines, we'll be on our doorsteps to celebrate and show thanks to those who sacrificed so much for their country. Tea & cakes, Churchill's speech, and a street sing-song will be part of the day's scheduling. It's going to be a very poignant but beautiful day. #veday #villagelife #veday75 #churchill #lockdownlife #appreciationpost #celebrate
Back on the windy roads of Patagonia. Where have Back on the windy roads of Patagonia. Where have your favourite adventures been? Where next? . . 📸 @leofrancisphotography 👊🏼
I'm proud to be working with such a great team kee I'm proud to be working with such a great team keeping Peterborough informed and entertained. I'll be updating my own sections of the site, exploring and advising on activities, home workouts, and future events in our region. If you'd like to promote your own business to the Peterborough reach through @espmagazine_pbo Drop me a message and we'll get you out there. #keepingpeterboroughpositive #peterborough #whatsonpeterborough
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Prince's Trust - Guest Speaker

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As a guest speaker Darren is a true inspiration to all. His approach to challenge, personal development and lifelong learning made him the perfect guest speaker to inspire and motivate our team. His adventures are the perfect hook to get the young people engage and his subtle but targeted “suggestions” on personal development stayed with the team throughout the twelve week programme.

Kit Lists - Everything you need for your running and adventure challenges

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If you're just starting out, or planning to cross a desert, jungle or 100 miles of ice, I share all the tips and recommended products here
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Peterborough Open Awards Centre CIC - Motivational Speaker

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Motivation and inspiration are key elements in encouraging young people to strive beyond their limiting beliefs. As a guest speaker on our National Citizen Service courses; the group listened attentively as he talked them through his various exploits as an extreme adventurer and charity fundraiser. His stories of completing the Marathon Des Sables and spending a week challenging alongside Sir Ranulph Fiennes as he became the oldest UK citizen to complete the challenge held his audience spellbound. A true motivational speaker.

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