Reaching their peak

Three climbers have pushed the generation gap aside to take on the daunting climb up Mount Kilimanjaro. It took lots of preparation - and a steely determination, writes John Holden

THERE ARE MANY young people who deserve applause. In fact, young Irish overachievers are becoming more and more common. But recently two stories have stood out over others. Right now Terenure College student Harry Moore is on his way up Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania Africa, with 10-year-old Sean McSharry. Harry has been mentoring Sean for the past two months to become the youngest person ever to climb the mountain.

At a colossal 5,895m, Kilimanjaro is the highest mountain in Africa. It is a very difficult climb by anyone's standards.

The highest mountain in Ireland, Carantouhill in Co Kerry, is 1,039m high.

But not only is it a long climb, altitude sickness has prevented several brave climbers from reaching the peak in the past. Luckily, Harry and Sean have the experienced climber and broadcaster, Ian McKeever with them. Ian, who is also Sean McSharry's godfather, is the world record holder for climbing the seven highest summits on the planet.

Completing the task in 2007, Ian was in training for four years prior to his departure and he suffered much physical and mental hardship.

"After I finished the seven peaks last year, Terenure College sent down their entire senior cup rugby team (SCT) to join me for some training and motivational classes," he says.

"I thought the type of training I do would be very beneficial for a rugby team. Soon after I was invited to come in and talk to all the teams in the school."

At the same time, Ian had already been discussing the possibility of climbing Kilimanjaro with his godson, Sean. He had brought him up Carantouhill and Sean expressed an interest in climbing somewhere even higher.

However, Ian felt that it might be a good idea for someone closer to his age to go with him as well. "I thought he needed a mentor for the trip, particularly after I had met the group from Terenure College.

"They're a special bunch of guys. But also, it made more sense to put 'like with like'. Much in all as Sean looks up to me, I'm 38 and Harry is 17. He can identify with Harry more.

"We could have chosen any number of guys from the Terenure SCT team but we chose Harry Moore because he had the patience, wisdom and insight to do the job. The result has been phenomenal. My 10-year-old godson, who had, at best, average fitness three months ago, can now comfortably run 10km and is on a very strict diet. A huge credit must be given to Harry for his mentoring role."

Being in fifth year and already on the Terenure College SCT team, Harry is no stranger to hard training. When Ian suggested the climb to his coach, Harry jumped at the opportunity.

"The training began two months ago in Glendalough in Wicklow," says Harry.

"Myself, Sean and Ian have been going up and down Camaderry Hill as it is nice and steep and a similar terrain to Kilimanjaro. I've just been focusing on my fitness. I was training six days a week for the SCT so I was able to get straight into this."

The team need to bring equipment for every type of weather when they travel to Africa. "We've been told the climate will change three times," says Harry.

"It starts off really hot at the bottom, then we encounter a rainforest climate and then, finally, it gets really cold nearer the summit. We'll need to bring a lot of supplies - boots, runners, thermal gear, t-shirts, tents - clothes for all types of weather. We also had to get quite a few injections."

Cameraman from the documentary, Touching the Void, John Whittle, will also be going with them and will film the experience.

In addition, the group is using this opportunity to raise money for the Aids partnership with Africa. "We've raised a few grand through table quizzes, family donations and a colours day in school," says Harry.

"The biggest problem we face though is the altitude," he says. As the air gets thinner the higher you go up the mountain, the more difficult it becomes to breathe and many climbers have had to quit on account of altitude sickness. "Ian has been preparing us for the altitude and explaining what to do if it really affects us," says Harry.

"You just need to come back down a few hundred metres, take a rest and then start again. The hardest part will be adjusting to the altitude. It will be most difficult for Sean though. He is the youngest to ever go up the mountain so no one knows what might happen."

Ian has no doubts about his godson. "Do I believe Sean will do it? Absolutely," he says.

"We have nine days to complete the challenge. We hope to reach the summit on May 2nd. A lot of people make the mistake of trying to do the whole trip in five days. We've given ourselves more time to make sure we get it absolutely right.

"We've been training on hard terrain in Wicklow and, to help us with the altitude and regulating our breathing, we've also been learning yoga."

To follow the group's progress, check www.takemehigher.ie