Just to let you all know I'm embarking on a nine month drive to raise funds for Help for Heroes. This consists of one sporting event per month strting this Sunday with a 200 mile ride on a spinfit bike in the local sports centre and culminating on a four peaks challenge by foot and pushbike in September (the four peaks are the highest mountains in Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland).
The inspiration behind this is the spirit shown by a former employee, Alastair Spearing, who left us to join the army in 2008. He was on a tour of duty in Afghanistan last year when he was hit by an IED on 6th October, losing both legs. Despite this he has retained his sense of humour and shows a remarkably positive attitude to his situation. His attitude is reflected in his complaint that "the first two weeks were hard" and his constant streams of videos, photos and jokes on facebook. How could we not support him and the help he has been given by Help for Heroes since he was injured.
Any help you can give would be gratefully received and would add to our total, which currently stands at close to £1,000 despite not having turned a pedal or made a step. Go on, the Heroes deserve your support.
Oh, I'll keep going. Programme of events is as follows:
Tomorrow: 200 miles on a spinfit bike
February: Whitehaven to Sunderland Coast to Coast bike ride in two days
March: Spring Into Duathlon, Strathclyde Park
April: Scottish Bike Show Sportive Ride, Trossachs
May: Fort William TO Inverness Coast to Coast bike ride, in one day
June: Men's Health 10k road race, Glasgow
July: Glen Sheil Ridge walk, 7 munros in a single day
August: Speed of Light Run. A run up Arthur's Seat in Edinburgh in the evening wearing a light suit!
September: Four Peaks Challenge. The UK's four highest peaks by bike and foot
Our target is £5,000 but we're already well on the way to our first £1,000, so I might increase the target.
In the meantime thanks to Julie and Graham and all others who have contributed.
Well, 200 miles completed in less than 8 hours today and over £500 raised on the day, bringing our total to date to just under £1,700 with more to come. Very pleased with progress so far.
I'll do all I can to help promote/bump this along mate. It's a great cause, and I'm sure whatever targets you've set for yourself re fundraising will be hit and then some.
Alastair left us to go to Sandhurst in 2008 and this was his first active tour after significant training. He was in the anti-IED squad but wasn't on anti-IED duty the day he was injured. He was on patrol with his platoon when it was hit by an IED, injuring three of the troops at the front. As Alastair went forward to administer first aid he triggered a second IED, which blew him 10 metres into a ditch. His life was saved by another soldier who risked his own life by immediately jumping into the ditch to apply tourniquets to Alastair's legs. He lost his left leg just above the knee and his right leg almost to the hip. Help for Heroes has played a big part in his recovery and actually run the rehabilitation centre at Headley Court, at which Alastair is expected to spend around a year having moved there in January.
Alastair's spirit is exemplified by his comment when I first contacted me; he said "The first two weeks were hard.." It was that comment that inspired me and my co-director, Willie Hume, to set up the programme of events. Alastair continues to poke fun at things; his facebook page is a riot, with jokes about jobs in pantomime, having no boots to throw at people sharing his room who are snoring, and asking if he can get a job as Long John Silver.
Alastair and his injured colleagues, about whom we hear very little, deserve our support, and H4H is just one of the ways of providing it.
Next challenge is the coast to coast bike ride from Whitehaven to Sunderland on the weekend of Feb 19th. We're going to attempt the 170 mile route in two days.
Off tomorrow to tackle the Riever's Route from Whitehaven to Sunderland on Saturday and Sunday. Prep has gone well now all we have to do is complete the ride.
I'd donate but im doing the national 3 peaks in 3 days for help for heroes and mesothelioma uk, look out for another sponsorship thread coming this way soon.
Well, I can quite honestly say that that's the hardest physical challenge I've attempted in my life. If you think you can complete an "ordinary" sportive in a day and therefore 176 miles in two, on that route, should be a doddle, don't kid yourself. We made it but it was very hard work, probably made worse by the cold and the shortness of the days which limited the time we had to complete each section. What really surrpised us though was the number and intensity of the climbs between Kielder and the coast on the way back down to the Tyne. The two steepest, one of which was the longest climb of the whole route, were within that section and just about did for us. We were blown by the time we reached Newcastle and snoozed and snacked our way back home by train. What an experience and I'm so glad it's over.
Well, that's the Duathlon done, 21 min 5km run, 55 min 20km bike ride (including a mechanical fix) and a 2nd 5km run that took nearer the half-hour (my phone battery ran out, stopping the tracking app so I don't know the time). Quite pleased overall but the mechanical on the bike cost me a lot of time and a very sore right knee. Still, I've 5-6 weeks until the next event, so should be long fixed by then.
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