My Mad Triathlon
Donation protected
My Mad Triathlon
(Mountain Trike for Fundraising Fund)
Bear with me this is a wee bit long...
In 2006 I undertook what I referred to as my extreme triathlon to raise funds for Steps (Steps home page ). This was a combination of a tandem skydive, an escape from a cage and blindfolded fire juggling.
Since then I have suffered a deterioration in my mobility as I have started to get sever pain in my right ankle. My left has always been painful but now I am struggling due to the right one hurting (it has always been "the better of the two").
About a year ago I had to start to use a wheelchair on a daily basis due to the pain in my right foot was at such a high level. This has limited what I can do with our three wonderful children for example I have not been able to take them out cycling as I can no longer ride a bike due to both the pain and issues around stopping and putting my feet down. Nor can we go to the forestry centre that is just on our doorstep as much as we once did. Occasionally we go for a "walk" at the forestry but the paths are not designed for wheelchairs - why would they be it’s a forestry centre! I have found I can't even take Jessica (our youngest) to some of the local playgrounds as they have wood chippings and sand etc and the front wheels of my chair dig in. Not to mention the destruction to my wheelchair gloves due to the stones and the contact dermatitis due to dust etc from the paths. As well as being painful (the vibrations of the front wheels aggravate the joints and increase my pain levels) the 'walks' are no longer pleasant. Which is sad as the kids thoroughly enjoy them.
Having a Mountain Trike would make such a difference to our family time, I could take Jessica to the park, the forestry and all the other places we used to go to with the older two without suffering for it. A Mountain Trike would take the place of my bike and I could become more active which will of course have health benefits.
At the moment we cannot afford to go through the finance option and we certainly don't have the money to buy one outright. I have tried to hire one for holidays in the past but as you can imagine the demand is so high I have not been able to hire one. Being a teacher I can't choose my holidays so that doesn't help.
So why should you "go fund me" for a Mountain Trike? Well I am figuring it is time to do some more fundraising for charity. As of yet I am not sure which charity. Obviously Steps is still very close to my heart; however there are some others that are very deserving and have had a huge impact on our lives. I will mention these below. I may be tempted to "poll" any supporters to help me decide.
But what has a Mountain Trike got to do with fund raising? Well I am planning another "mad escapade" something challenging and unusual to try and capture people's attention and show that despite having a disability you can still pull through and push yourself despite any challenges you face.
Near Tamworth is the Pooley Country Park Heritage Centre , a little haven of beauty and nature ......and a dirty great big slag heap. At the top of the slag heap is a monument a simple monolith. Every time we drive the M42 I look at the heap and think ..... That looks like a hard trek to get up. But as it turns out the slag heap has a path that runs clockwise round it to the top. A nice "gentle" path ..... Well not that gentle.
My plan is this: using the same title "My Mad Triathlon"
Inspired in part by Paul Brown's (Magical Mayhem ) unicycle ride from Burton to Manchester - but with added madness!
Part 1) An escape, in fact my most challenging yet.... I am restrained in handcuffs a body chain keeping my wrist at my waist. This will be my most challenging escape to date because as well as the handcuffs and belly chain I will have a very long thick chain that is draped round my neck. The ends are then passed through a 5 foot long tube and then around the monolith and is padlocked on the far side of the monument away from me. This will put the lock over 5 feet away and I will not be able to reach it due to the tube. The padlock will be locked checked and sealed with stickers and signatures. The nature of the restraint means it will be impossible to tamper with the padlock and even if I could get to it I would not be able to open it without dislodging the seals etc. or we may just decide to have the lock welded shut?
Part 2) The decent from the slag heap (if I get out of the chains) without the use of the "gentle" path (I say gentle as it took nearly 45 minutes to scale in my day to day wheelchair on the May bank holiday Monday). I will only be allowed to use the steeper paths that run down gullies and through trees. Photos to follow!
Part 3) A monster "hike" on the Mountain Trike from Pooley Country Park (B78 1JA) to Hicks Lodge (KE65 2UP), a distance of around 13 miles . Then round the bike track at Hicks Lodge to finish off.
As well as the triathlon I am hoping to arrange an evening of magic and entertainment on the same day with a group of magicians and musicians from the Burton area as a final celebration of the fundraising event.
All this is going to need training and some equipment .... Believe it or not I have the handcuffs and belly chain etc already. Those of you who know me know it's true! We will try and find a local police man or prison warden etc to do the chaining up.
I can hire a Mountain Trike for up to 9 days at a cost of £310 or two days for £160 (see Mountain Trike try or hire for more details). Obviously hiring a Mountin Trike would be cheaper than buying, however I can see me needing at least 4 weekends of training plus 2 days for the event itself, and then that might not be enough. I would need to discuss the use of the Trike in a "sport or challenging physical activity" with the team and there may be a need for insurance and disclaimers etc. Either way we are looking at at least £800 for hiring, if there is a Mountain Trike available that is. If I can get enough money raised to buy a Mountain Trike I will come up with something similar next year too, who knows maybe it will become a yearly event?
My good friend Ian McColl in Australia suggested trying a crowd funding event to see if people would be willing to help me, my family and also the chosen charities.
As well as the crowd funding I will be setting up a Just-giving site in case people want to sponsor "My Mad Triathlon" event but not the crowd funding of the Mountain Trike.
I will also be approaching local businesses and fund raisers to see if they would help with the Mountain Trike. Ultimately though the aim is to raise money for some great charities that have made a big difference to my family.
Choice of charities:
This is a tricky one, there are a few options.
Steps (www.steps-charity.org.uk) is a charity for people with lower limb difficulties including Talipes Equinovarus (club foot) Developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) and other Lower limb Conditions. Being born with Talipes and still having issues as a 40 year old adult (I use the term adult loosely!) this is a condition and by association a charity that is very close to my heart. I am on the board of trustees and think it is a brilliant charity, I only wish that Steps had been around for my parents when I was born.
The Snowdrop Suit at Burton on Trent Queens Hospital. This is a small section of the maternity suite at Burton hospital. We were incredibly well supported by the Snowdrop Suit and its staff when our third child Adam died just after he was born. A relatively small charity but very important and a real comfort in a heart breaking time.
Birmingham Children’s Hospital cardiac wards. When our youngest daughter stopped growing at a few weeks old she was identified as having 2 holes in her heart (some would say she was being greedy). She underwent open heart surgery at the age of 3 months at Birmingham Children’s hospital. An amazing team worked tirelessly to help save her life. An absolutely amazing hospital that we are incredibly grateful for!
And linked to number 3 ...
Ronald McDonald House Birmingham (www.rmhc.org.uk/our-houses/birmingham/ ) when we arrived at Birmingham Children’s Hospital for Jessica to be admitted for her surgery we had not even considered what we were going to do about staying in Birmingham. I had assumed my wife would stay with Jessica and I would travel in and out of Birmingham each day to be with them both. The cardiac ward had arranged for us to stay, free of charge, at the Ronald McDonald House Birmingham a 2 minute walk from the cardiac ward. This took a lot of the stress of the situation away and made the whole experience more bearable.
So those are the charities that I will choose from – or if I can't decide then you will get to choose!
(Mountain Trike for Fundraising Fund)
Bear with me this is a wee bit long...
In 2006 I undertook what I referred to as my extreme triathlon to raise funds for Steps (Steps home page ). This was a combination of a tandem skydive, an escape from a cage and blindfolded fire juggling.
Since then I have suffered a deterioration in my mobility as I have started to get sever pain in my right ankle. My left has always been painful but now I am struggling due to the right one hurting (it has always been "the better of the two").
About a year ago I had to start to use a wheelchair on a daily basis due to the pain in my right foot was at such a high level. This has limited what I can do with our three wonderful children for example I have not been able to take them out cycling as I can no longer ride a bike due to both the pain and issues around stopping and putting my feet down. Nor can we go to the forestry centre that is just on our doorstep as much as we once did. Occasionally we go for a "walk" at the forestry but the paths are not designed for wheelchairs - why would they be it’s a forestry centre! I have found I can't even take Jessica (our youngest) to some of the local playgrounds as they have wood chippings and sand etc and the front wheels of my chair dig in. Not to mention the destruction to my wheelchair gloves due to the stones and the contact dermatitis due to dust etc from the paths. As well as being painful (the vibrations of the front wheels aggravate the joints and increase my pain levels) the 'walks' are no longer pleasant. Which is sad as the kids thoroughly enjoy them.
Having a Mountain Trike would make such a difference to our family time, I could take Jessica to the park, the forestry and all the other places we used to go to with the older two without suffering for it. A Mountain Trike would take the place of my bike and I could become more active which will of course have health benefits.
At the moment we cannot afford to go through the finance option and we certainly don't have the money to buy one outright. I have tried to hire one for holidays in the past but as you can imagine the demand is so high I have not been able to hire one. Being a teacher I can't choose my holidays so that doesn't help.
So why should you "go fund me" for a Mountain Trike? Well I am figuring it is time to do some more fundraising for charity. As of yet I am not sure which charity. Obviously Steps is still very close to my heart; however there are some others that are very deserving and have had a huge impact on our lives. I will mention these below. I may be tempted to "poll" any supporters to help me decide.
But what has a Mountain Trike got to do with fund raising? Well I am planning another "mad escapade" something challenging and unusual to try and capture people's attention and show that despite having a disability you can still pull through and push yourself despite any challenges you face.
Near Tamworth is the Pooley Country Park Heritage Centre , a little haven of beauty and nature ......and a dirty great big slag heap. At the top of the slag heap is a monument a simple monolith. Every time we drive the M42 I look at the heap and think ..... That looks like a hard trek to get up. But as it turns out the slag heap has a path that runs clockwise round it to the top. A nice "gentle" path ..... Well not that gentle.
My plan is this: using the same title "My Mad Triathlon"
Inspired in part by Paul Brown's (Magical Mayhem ) unicycle ride from Burton to Manchester - but with added madness!
Part 1) An escape, in fact my most challenging yet.... I am restrained in handcuffs a body chain keeping my wrist at my waist. This will be my most challenging escape to date because as well as the handcuffs and belly chain I will have a very long thick chain that is draped round my neck. The ends are then passed through a 5 foot long tube and then around the monolith and is padlocked on the far side of the monument away from me. This will put the lock over 5 feet away and I will not be able to reach it due to the tube. The padlock will be locked checked and sealed with stickers and signatures. The nature of the restraint means it will be impossible to tamper with the padlock and even if I could get to it I would not be able to open it without dislodging the seals etc. or we may just decide to have the lock welded shut?
Part 2) The decent from the slag heap (if I get out of the chains) without the use of the "gentle" path (I say gentle as it took nearly 45 minutes to scale in my day to day wheelchair on the May bank holiday Monday). I will only be allowed to use the steeper paths that run down gullies and through trees. Photos to follow!
Part 3) A monster "hike" on the Mountain Trike from Pooley Country Park (B78 1JA) to Hicks Lodge (KE65 2UP), a distance of around 13 miles . Then round the bike track at Hicks Lodge to finish off.
As well as the triathlon I am hoping to arrange an evening of magic and entertainment on the same day with a group of magicians and musicians from the Burton area as a final celebration of the fundraising event.
All this is going to need training and some equipment .... Believe it or not I have the handcuffs and belly chain etc already. Those of you who know me know it's true! We will try and find a local police man or prison warden etc to do the chaining up.
I can hire a Mountain Trike for up to 9 days at a cost of £310 or two days for £160 (see Mountain Trike try or hire for more details). Obviously hiring a Mountin Trike would be cheaper than buying, however I can see me needing at least 4 weekends of training plus 2 days for the event itself, and then that might not be enough. I would need to discuss the use of the Trike in a "sport or challenging physical activity" with the team and there may be a need for insurance and disclaimers etc. Either way we are looking at at least £800 for hiring, if there is a Mountain Trike available that is. If I can get enough money raised to buy a Mountain Trike I will come up with something similar next year too, who knows maybe it will become a yearly event?
My good friend Ian McColl in Australia suggested trying a crowd funding event to see if people would be willing to help me, my family and also the chosen charities.
As well as the crowd funding I will be setting up a Just-giving site in case people want to sponsor "My Mad Triathlon" event but not the crowd funding of the Mountain Trike.
I will also be approaching local businesses and fund raisers to see if they would help with the Mountain Trike. Ultimately though the aim is to raise money for some great charities that have made a big difference to my family.
Choice of charities:
This is a tricky one, there are a few options.
Steps (www.steps-charity.org.uk) is a charity for people with lower limb difficulties including Talipes Equinovarus (club foot) Developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) and other Lower limb Conditions. Being born with Talipes and still having issues as a 40 year old adult (I use the term adult loosely!) this is a condition and by association a charity that is very close to my heart. I am on the board of trustees and think it is a brilliant charity, I only wish that Steps had been around for my parents when I was born.
The Snowdrop Suit at Burton on Trent Queens Hospital. This is a small section of the maternity suite at Burton hospital. We were incredibly well supported by the Snowdrop Suit and its staff when our third child Adam died just after he was born. A relatively small charity but very important and a real comfort in a heart breaking time.
Birmingham Children’s Hospital cardiac wards. When our youngest daughter stopped growing at a few weeks old she was identified as having 2 holes in her heart (some would say she was being greedy). She underwent open heart surgery at the age of 3 months at Birmingham Children’s hospital. An amazing team worked tirelessly to help save her life. An absolutely amazing hospital that we are incredibly grateful for!
And linked to number 3 ...
Ronald McDonald House Birmingham (www.rmhc.org.uk/our-houses/birmingham/ ) when we arrived at Birmingham Children’s Hospital for Jessica to be admitted for her surgery we had not even considered what we were going to do about staying in Birmingham. I had assumed my wife would stay with Jessica and I would travel in and out of Birmingham each day to be with them both. The cardiac ward had arranged for us to stay, free of charge, at the Ronald McDonald House Birmingham a 2 minute walk from the cardiac ward. This took a lot of the stress of the situation away and made the whole experience more bearable.
So those are the charities that I will choose from – or if I can't decide then you will get to choose!
Organizer
David Matkin
Organizer
