“Not gonna happen. Ever!”
My answer never changed, no matter how many times I was asked the question. It just wasn’t something that I would even consider. The days of me putting myself out there, attempting to complete ridiculous time-consuming – and some would say pointless – challenges, in aid of charity, were behind me. But still the question kept popping out of people’s mouths.
“So, you’ve done Europe. When are you going to do America?”
The assumption seemed to be simple – After successfully bringing the Great Euro Freebie Challenge to its conclusion, the logical progression was to go on and achieve a similar feat across the pond in the States.
“They’ll love you in America,” I was told repeatedly. Usually by Americans.
“They might. But I don’t think you grasp just how hard the five and half months I spent completing the Great Euro Freebie Challenge were. How hungry I was; how tired; how lonely; how completely drained by the end of it. I completed what I set out to do, and for that I am proud, but I wouldn’t put myself through it again, and I wouldn’t recommend anyone else going through it either.”
The Euro Challenge
The Great Euro Freebie Challenge was dreamt up on a boozy night with a friend on Brighton beach, way back in October 2007. The goal was to reach every capital city in the European Union – minus the islands – without being allowed to spend or even handle any money. The challenge was dedicated to my aunt Susan who, at the time of my setting off on the journey, was fighting a losing battle with lung cancer, and the main aim of the challenge was to raise both awareness and funds for Cancer Research UK, through sponsorships collected via my Justgiving page.
I started the challenge as a cocky kid in Stockholm on the 1st November 2007; fully expecting to be back home in Brighton in time for Christmas. It was going to be easy. I would hitchhike from one end of the continent to the other, hitting a different capital city on an almost daily basis, and making myself something of a hero in the eyes of my friends and family at home; none of whom truly believed the challenge was do-able. Not to mention doing my bit for charity in the process, hopefully raising a few thousand quid for Cancer Research.
And then, eight days into the journey, after I’d successfully and speedily navigated my way through Scandinavia and Germany, I found myself standing by the side of a motorway just outside the tiny Polish town of Suwalki. Darkness fell, the heavens opened, cars passed me by, splashing me with mud, and I woke up to the fact that I was involved in something serious. Things were not going to be handed to me on a plate. I was going to have to start taking things seriously; otherwise I wasn’t going to get very far at all.
Some 154 days and almost 10,000 miles later, I boarded a flight in Athens, destined finally for home. I had lost over a stone in weight and my feet were blistered. I had suffered severe food poisoning in Poland; had staggered along the side of unlit motorways, past midnight, in harsh snow blizzards in the Baltic countries; had been kicked off of trains in tiny villages all across the continent; had gone days at a time without food; and had frozen my arse off trekking through Eastern Europe in mid-winter without so much as a coat for warmth.
The Great Euro Freebie Challenge had been the hardest, most painful challenge I had ever endured, and I was glad that it was over and that I would never ever again have to put my mind and body through such an ordeal again.
But it was worth it.
It was worth it for the £1,927.50 raised for Cancer Research UK.
And it was worth it for the amazing people that were introduced to my life; even if some only stayed for a couple of minutes.
It was worth it for the learning. Learning about myself, and learning about human beings in general.
And it was worth it for the stories that I collected along the way; stories that will never leave me.
That is why I am ready to go back on my word.
When the question, “When are you gonna do America?” is asked now, my answer is always, “Soon!”
The American Challenge
The Great American Freebie Challenge will see me attempt to reach every state capital in the US – apart from Juneau in Alaska, and Honolulu in Hawaii – again without carrying any money in my pocket, or any type of credit or debit card to fall back on.
To succeed in this, I will once again have to put my faith 100 per cent in to the goodness and kind heartedness of strangers; this time Americans.
During the Great Euro Freebie Challenge I was fortunate enough to receive a helping hand from our American cousins all over the continent – from Finland, to Lithuania, to Serbia, to Spain, to France; everywhere I found myself, there were Americans willing to help me along. And those same Americans have been among the ever increasing crowd willing me to once again pack my rucksack and set off in search of adventure, whilst raising more funds and awareness for a very deserving cause.
Mental Health Charities
This time I will be collecting sponsorships on both sides of the Atlantic for two charities dedicated to a cause that is very close to my own heart. UK charity Mind, and US charity the National Mental Health Association (NMHA) – both of which work tirelessly to help ease the suffering of those struggling with mental health issues.
If you would like to know more about either of the above mentioned organisations, have a read at the top of this page at their information pages; or click on either of their names to be re-directed to their websites.
To sponsor me on the Great American Freebie Challenge, either click here to support Mind, or here to support NMHA.
When will it start?
I will be touching down in Boston, Massachusetts, on 17th of June and then tackling the Great American Freebie Challenge from there; not returning back to England until all 48 state capitals on the US mainland have been ticked off of my list. Most of them I haven’t even heard of before.
Unlike the Great Euro Freebie Challenge, which I was able to complete at my leisure, the American adventure has a catch to it. My Visa will dictate that I can only be in the country for three months. That means I will have to be hitting an average of two state capitals a week. It’s not going to be easy; but it is going to be completed.
The sponsor
Donatello Restaurant in Brighton have stepped forward to provide the air ticket to America. To find out more about Donatello, check the link at the top of the page. Thank you to Sue for making it happen.
The plea to you all
I ask that after reading this, you send the link on to everyone you know. The more awareness there is of this challenge, the more money we will be able to raise together for the designated charities.
Thanks for reading,
Kris Mole
The State Capitals
Best of luck mate, the capital of Alaska is Juneau though, not Anchorage
Thanks mate. And thanks for the info… My lazy mistake. Have changed it now