Brotherhood on the Peaks

Welcome to Team Poles & Crocs: Brotherhood on the Peaks

Welcome to Team Poles & Crocs: Brotherhood on the Peaks and of course 2025!

What happens when you throw 42 men and one 15-year-old savage into the Yorkshire Dales to tackle three brutal peaks, challenging winter conditions, and a combined 24 miles of punishing terrain? You get the 2025 kickoff for Team Poles & Crocs: a community built on resilience, humour, and an unshakable bond that we call The Brotherhood.

For those who’ve stumbled across this, let’s back up. The Yorkshire 3 Peaks Challenge isn’t your average hike. It’s a gut-check: 24 miles, 1,500 metres of ascent, and enough mud, wind, and misery to make you question every life decision leading up to that moment. But we’re not here for solo glory. We’re here to tackle the challenge together.

What We’re About

At our core, Team Poles & Crocs is more than a running group, a fitness team, or a bunch of blokes in tight shorts. We’re a Brotherhood—a tribe of people who’ve faced dark times, climbed out of those pits, and now lift each other to new heights.

Our ethos? Simple:

Never above, never below, always side by side.

This isn’t just about smashing miles. It’s about smashing limits—physical, mental, and emotional. And we do it together, carrying each other through the hard bits, sometimes literally.

The Guardianship

Within the team, there’s a smaller group we call The Guardians. These are men who’ve seen rock-bottom and bounced back higher than anyone could’ve imagined. They’ve faced their demons, found resilience, and now dedicate themselves to supporting others—whether that’s carrying a literal bag on the trail or offering a steady hand to those fighting their own battles.

The Guardians remind us: it’s not about how far you can run. It’s about how far you’re willing to go for someone else.

Highlights from Y3P 2025

The Man of the Match? Tom Dunbar. The bloke smiled his way through the day, and chatted with everyone, and when Hassan hit the wall, he picked up his day sack and carried it alongside his own. Solid effort, mate. The only downside? He’s from Preston, so we’ll see how long that shelf life lasts.

*Clip Award? Reece, who turned up in road runners on this terrain, carried one bottle of water, forgot gels, and looked absolutely pissed crossing the finish line. Then, he got in his car and drove home. Absolute lunatic—but he made it.

• being ‘in clip’ is to be in a physical mess of a state. usually because of a lack of preparedness or silly decision-making

And let’s not forget the 15-year-old lad who ran with a squad of savages and held his own. Unreal effort.

Quote of the day

Then there was the last climb. Quads creamed in. Tiny baby steps all the way. Everyone else at the top. For a moment, I genuinely considered throwing myself off the cliff just to make it stop. But step by step, we all got there.

Why We Do It

It’s not about the peaks, the miles, or the suffering. It’s about who you become on the other side of the challenge—and the people you do it with.

This group is a lifeline. Many of us have fought through mental health struggles, isolation, or personal losses. For some, this is about finding strength they didn’t know they had. For others, it’s about offering that strength to those around them.

As one of the lads said:

Pain is guaranteed—do you want to hurt by my side?

For Team Poles & Crocs, the answer is always yes.

Looking Ahead

2025 is shaping up to be our biggest year yet. From team events to solo challenges, we’ll be pushing limits and spreading our ethos across the globe.

But this isn’t just about us. It’s about inviting others to join the journey. If you’ve hit a wall, if you’ve struggled, if you’re searching for that next step—this might just be the place for you.

So, whether it’s the Yorkshire 3 Peaks or your own mountain to climb, know this: you don’t have to face it alone.

We’ll be here. Side by side.

Welcome to Team Poles & Crocs.