Three friends aiming to summit Carrauntoohil three times in 15 hours

Trio taking on epic charity challenge

The  Devil's Ladder on Carrauntoohil.  It usually takes six to 11 hours to reach the summit. Picture: Don MacMonagle

Ireland’s tallest mountain will provide the backdrop for an epic charity challenge as three friends look to reach its peak, three times in just 15 hours.

Dublin-based Mike Whelan will be joined by British Army social media star Natalya Platonova, and ex-England rugby international Paul Sampson as they climb Carrauntoohil three times on June 30, The trio aim to raise money for PTSD and mental health services for emergency workers and members of the armed forces.

Mr Whelan spent 15 years working in law enforcement and Intelligence in the UK, eight of those years in special operations, before becoming TikTok’s global security lead in Dublin.

During his time on active duty, Mr Whelan suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which is how he was introduced to Rock 2 Recovery, a charity that supports veterans and emergency services workers with PTSD and mental health across the UK and Ireland.

“I found it quite difficult transitioning out of my career and overcoming some of the hang-ups of my job which led me to speak with the guys from R2R,” Mr Whelan said on the group's fundraising page.

“I can honestly say that the support and coaching they gave me has been lifechanging and I wouldn't have managed the transition without them,” he added.

He will be joined by Ms Platonova, the winner of the Channel 4 social networking show, The Circle who spoke openly about her own battles with depression and anxiety, and Mr Sampson, a mental health coach for Rock2Recovery.

The team are currently training for the event and have a TikTok and Instagram page where they will be sharing their progress online and even live-streaming parts of the climb on the day.

“Since we started planning and training for this event, we have now decided to make it even more of a challenge by climbing the mountain three times in 15 hours,” said Mr Whelan.

According to Kerryclimbing.ie, it usually takes between six to 11 hours to reach the top of Carrauntoohil, depending on the route climbers take, meaning the trio will have to be on top form if they want to succeed.

You can follow Team Venture below:

https://www.instagram.com/tv/CeRqcRioh05/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y= https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMNdCduBS/?k=1 The link for the team donation page is: https://teamfortitude.uk/products/team-venture