Going the Distance Without the Commitment

Long before I was even vaguely aware of the existence of thru-hiking trails such as the Appalachian and Pacific Crest trails, I stumbled upon a wonderful little app known as the 'Conqueror Challenges'. If not for happening upon it, it's unlikely the PCT Pacific would be on my bucket list, or that I would be committing so passionately to my travel plans!

So, what's all the fuss about this handy little app?

This blog is not in any way, shape or form affiliated with or sponsored by the Conqueror Challenges: it's simply a tool that has personally helped me in inching closer to my thru-hiking goals.

What are the Conqueror Challenges?

The Conqueror Challenges are a series of virtual distances that are generally set in real-world locations, in which you 'travel' through over a time (that you set for yourself) by walking, running, biking, skipping, rowing...in fact, ANY physical activity, thanks to its helpful exercise-to-distance converter!

Once you start a challenge, your position is shown on a map, which you can view and follow throughout the entire course of your route. You can even use the street-view option to see exactly where you've made it to on the trail.

The Grand Canyon, Appalachian Trail, Yellowstone, Hadrian's Wall, the North Coast 500, Kruger, Mount Fuji (and, yes, even the entire story route from The Lord of the Rings!);the list is endless of places to explore and distances to cover, all from the convenience of your own home, park or gym.

As well as helping you cover incredible distances and bringing newfound purpose to your workouts, reaching specific trail milestones brings some great benefits to the world around you, too.

Hitting 20%, 40%, 60%, 80% and 100% completion on any of your routes will either plant 1 real tree through Conquerors' partnership with the Eden project, or rescue 10 plastic bottles from the ocean through their other partner, plasticbank (you get to choose which of these gets your support!), allowing you to smash your goals while seeing the tangible effects of giving the environment a much-need boost.

You also receive a physical medal at the end, which absolutely isn't a necessity but a nice little bonus! What more could you ask for in an app?!

Why did the challenges take off?

I'm sure you need no introduction to the havoc the lockdowns had on all of us, especially those of us who are the most at ease and grounded with time spent outside. Restriction after restriction and rules on how much time we were allowed out of our homes meant people had to turn to other means of reaching those far-flung places while everything ground to a halt.

That's where the Conqueror Challenges stepped in for so many of us.

In early 2020, I landed a new (and very short-lived) role of Showjumping Groom, but in the 3 months I spent there, I covered enough ground just in my day-to-day role (an average of 13 miles a day) to complete the Grand Canyon challenge distance of 450.6km in 42 days without any exercise added.

As soon as I got out of the job, I continued with the next challenge in between jobs, during a time of real uncertainty. That challenge just happened to be the Pacific Crest Trail, chosen simply for its 4000km virtual route that I felt inexplicably drawn to and an irrefutable need to complete.

This, of course, planted the seed for actually setting out to complete the ACTUAL Pacific Crest Trail one day!

If it weren't for happening across the Conqueror Challenges, I'm uncertain if I would have found my passion for thru-hiking and truly going the distance. Having these targets to work towards, a physical map to follow along the entire journey and being able to see quite literally where I stood was wonderful during a time of stagnation and uncertainty, giving a little extra meaning to that unsettling time in my life.

Going these virtual distances absolutely helped me push myself out of a tough time, and unknowingly set me up for an exciting future.

Time for a challenge?

It's truly wonderful to know there's an app out there that allows people from all walks of life to get involved in something that not only benefits their own community and the planet, but also allows us to feel like we're part of something bigger than ourselves: chasing goals, aiding the environment and reaping the health benefits.

If you've never hiked, run, rowed or biked over long distances before and don't know where to start (or simply want to try something new and purposeful!) I can absolutely recommend the Conqueror challenges.

The distances range from Angkor Wat at just 32km all the up to The Pacific Crest Trail at 4000km, so there's absolutely something for everybody, whether you want to ease in with a smaller challenge or jump in at the deep end!

No matter your fitness level, goals or thru-hiking plans, the Conqueror Challenges are a wonderful insight into the long-distance world without the commitment of large sums of money or flying halfway across the world...and a perfect stepping stone into the real thing further down the line!