Rob Hall from Belvoir Lettings in Long Eaton, Derbyshire, has achieved something many of us wouldn’t even have the courage to try – the 70.3 mile Ironman Challenge in Mallorca, successfully raising £455 for Newlife Foundation for Disabled Children – the UK’s leading charity provider of specialist equipment for children with disabilities and terminal illness.
Rob decided to help raise funds for Newlife Foundation as it is the charity of the year for the Long Eaton branch and every penny raised will go towards funding specialist equipment for disabled children in Derbyshire.
Rob, Assistant Manager of Belvoir Lettings on Tamworth Road, said: “I thought it was such a good opportunity to raise money for children within the county as it’s such a great cause.
“I’ve completed a few smaller triathlons and I’ve always been into running so I thought that the natural next step would be to try out the Ironman with a few of my friends – because it was in Mallorca we thought we may as well make a holiday out of it too. I also liked that fact that 100 per cent of money donated to Newlife goes towards supplying children with equipment.”
The 70.3 mile triathlon consisted of a gruelling 1.2 mile sea swim, 56 mile bike ride and a 13.1 mile run (half marathon).
Rob added: “It was lousy weather which was surprising for Spain but it played to our advantage as I found it difficult training in the heat. I didn’t realise how different it would be training in the UK compared to training in Spain – the weather on the day was wet and cool making it easier to complete.
“I was most anxious about the swim as I don’t really have any open sea swimming experience and with 3,500 people it was quite daunting – but other than being stung by a few jellyfish it was really good. The bike ride was pretty intense but it was definitely my strongest section. The half marathon was very difficult especially the last seven miles as at this point I was just dragging myself round. I knew when I got to the run I was almost there and seeing the finish line was amazing.”
Newlife has already helped 330 families in Derbyshire get specialist equipment totalling £280,766. However the demand is still high with 21 children in need of specialist equipment right now, amounting to £13,340. In response to growing demand, the charity launched its Newlife Derbyshire fund – https://newlifecharity.co.uk/Derbyshire – to give local people the opportunity to donate to children aged under 19 who need specialist equipment within the county.
If you would like to fundraise for children with disabilities and terminal illness within the county, contact David Reeves on 07854425273 or email dreeves@newlifecharity.co.uk.
The Newlife Community Fundraising Team can be contacted on freephone 0800 988 4640 or email fundraise@newlifecharity.co.uk
Pictured: Rob Hall
Web: https://newlifecharity.co.uk
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