Richard Branson's Family Pulled Off An Insanely Tough 1,000-Mile Trek Across Europe
The Strive Challenge kicked off at London's O2 Arena on August 7. Several special guests showed up to send the team off on the first part of the challenge, including Richard Branson's daughter Holly, Big Change founder Princess Beatrice, comedian Jack Whitehall, and singers Jermain Jackman and Natalie Imbruglia.
More than 50 runners joined the Core Team on the first leg of their journey. Sam stopped to take a selfie before the challenge began.
Richard Branson's mother Eve fired the starting gun to send the runners on their way.
To complete the first part of the challenge, the team had to complete three marathons in three days — a daunting task, to say the least, but they looked upbeat.
The Core Team of 10 people completed all four stages of the challenge, but hundreds of other Virgin employees and friends joined for different segments. Here, Chris Edge of Virgin Media and Tori Eaton of Virgin Money have some fun with the marathon portion. The first marathon took the team from London to Gravesend, the second on to Faversham, and the third to Dover, on the southern coast of England.
Once the team arrived in Dover, the plan was to row 22 miles across the English Channel in the Britannia III. Though the rest of the team had little experience with rowing, Core member Fiona Waller was once part of a 4-woman team that crossed the Indian and Atlantic Oceans.
Source: Strive Challenge
But even the team's best efforts were no match for Hurricane Bertha, whose gale-force winds made for a dangerous crossing. The Dover Port Authorities blocked the team from leaving the harbor, and they took a ferry ride across instead.
Source: Strive Challenge
Despite that disappointment, the team was ready for the next phase. Next up was the cycle, which was divided into two different stages. The first leg took the team from the French coastal town of Boulogne-sur-Mer to Troyes, in central France. The 279-mile journey was spread out over four days of cycling.
Source: Strive Challenge
Sam Branson and cousin Noah Devereux laugh during a much-needed break from cycling.
Starting on August 17, the second leg of the cycle brought Core members through the countryside from Troyes to Verbier, Switzerland. This leg was even more difficult than the first, with an elevation gain of several thousand feet.
Source: Strive Challenge
Virgin Group CEO Josh Bayliss (left) joined for this grueling part of the journey, which took nearly five days to complete.
Source: Strive Challenge
Also joining the team in Troyes was Sir Richard Branson himself, seen here with son Sam.
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Branson is never one to miss an opportunity to play a prank. He attached a carefully disguised motor to his bike that quickly powered him up the hill and past the rest of the team.
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The entire Branson family was there to greet them in Zerbier, where Virgin owns a mountain lodge. Pictured here (from left) are Sam's wife Isabella Calthorpe, Sam Branson, Richard's wife Joan Templeman, Richard Branson, Holly Branson, and Holly's husband Freddie Andrews.
Next up was the seven-day hike from Verbier to Zermatt, Switzerland.
Grandma Eve was there to send the team off.
The Core Team was joined by about 40 other hikers on the iconic Haute Route trail, a challenging trek that offers amazing panoramic views of the Swiss Alps.
Source: Strive Challenge
Once the team arrived in Zermatt on September 1, it was time to embark on the final part of the Strive Challenge: a climb to the top of the Matterhorn, one of the most iconic mountains in the world, and at 14,692 feet, one of the tallest in the Alps.
A summer of bad weather turned the trek into a winter climb, and the team had to delay their start several times.
They climbed for hours without a problem. Just 600 feet from the summit, however, Sam began to suffer from extreme altitude sickness that made it difficult to continue.
Source: Virgin
With one final push, Sam, Noah, and Stephen Shanly made it to the top with the help of their guides.
In one last dramatic turn of events, Sam became so sick that he had to be rescued by helicopter and airlifted to the ground while the rest of the team climbed down.
Watch the adrenaline-pumping video of Sam being airlifted to safety.
Now read about the crazy hobbies of another tech billionaire.
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