The amazing Annabelle Bond, who is currently on her way
to breaking two world records and conquer the Seven Summits
(the seven highest peaks on each continent) was born to English
parents in Singapore in 1969, and due to her fathers work
she spent most of her youth travelling. She moved to Hong
Kong when she was 3 years old and apart from 2 years living
in Jakarta, Indonesia, she stayed in Hong Kong until the age
of 17, after which she moved to New York for two years.
At the young age of 8 Annabelle started the long commute alone
from Hong Kong to England to go to boarding school and it
was on finishing her A-levels whilst living in Switzerland
for a year that she developed her love of the mountains. After
her year away Annabelle moved back to her family, who were
still living in Hong Kong and she began working for FPD Savils.
Not satisfied with the treadmill and lifting a few weights,
Annabelle began running long distance and for 4 consecutive
years competed in The MacLehose Trail, an understated name
for the 103 km mountain marathon which covers some 23,000ft
of vertical in steambath conditions. Her best finish was second
woman out of 4,000 competitors in a completion time of 16
hours and 50 minutes (this was the woman who didn't think
she could run for more than an hour). She also competed in
a couple of mountain half marathons and held the woman's record
for 3 years on the Sai Kung course. She trained whenever there
was free time in her busy schedule, and it soon became apparent
that her fitness and challenges where at the extreme end of
the spectrum.
In 2000 Annabelle moved to Idaho and when she arrived in Sun
Valley, sports were her primary focus and as soon as the ski
season ended she went to Nepal to trek to Everest Base Camp
and over the Chola Pass into Gokio. "I fell madly in
love with the dramatic scenery, the spirituality of the country
and the sherpa people and vowed to come back again".
She then headed to Peru to run the Inca Trail and the Ausangate
circuit.
Her lust for adventure took her even further a field, climbing
in New Zealand, home of the adrenalin junkie, and it was after
this that Annabelle decided to embark on the challenge of
conquering the Seven Summits, the highest peak on each continent,
not only for her own personal goals and love, but more importantly,
for the Eve Appeal Charity which funds research into the prevention
and cure of ovarian cancer and she, with many thanks to and
via full funding from Andronico Luksic (who was also on the
Everest expedition) and Banco de Chile, is able to donate
100% of all proceeds to this valuable cause and the Eve Appeal
flag, thanks to this amazing individual, will fly on top of
the seven highest places on earth.
So far the amazing Annabelle has conquered the highest peak
on earth… Mount Everest, along with Mt Elbrus in Russia,
Mt Kosiuszco in Australia, Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa and
earlier this year she successfully reached the summits of
Vinson Massif in Antarctica and Aconcagua in Argentina. Well
on the way to breaking two world records this beautiful and
amazing young woman is as we speak climbing Mount Denali in
Alaska which will mean the completion of a monumentous feat
of human achievement and endurance. Seven Summits.. Seven
continents.. in less than a year!!
This remarkable young woman, who is an inspiration to all
women (and men for that matter!), is attempting something
that to date only 78 people in the world have done and more
importantly, only seven of which are women and if this wasn't
enough…she stands to break two world records in her
challenge. The first being she will be the youngest woman
to ever complete this challenge and the second; by completing
the challenge in the fastest time.
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