A Royston fundraiser who was set to take on the Nottingham Outlaw triathlon hasn’t let the coronavirus pandemic stop him from meeting the challenge, albeit a little closer to home.
Rob Turner signed up to the Nottingham Outlaw – for the seriously dedicated athlete – to raise money for family support charity Home-Start Royston, Buntingford and South Cambridgeshire.
Hosted in Nottingham, the triathlon event sees participants from all over the country taking part in a series of touch challenges, all centred on the National Water Sports Centre.
It was due to take place on July 26, starting at sunrise with a 2.4-mile swim around the Regatta Lake – where the average water temperature is 18°C – followed by a 112-mile bike ride through the Nottinghamshire countryside, and finishing off with a full 26.2-mile marathon, taking in Nottingham city’s most famous sites.
Like most popular events this year, the Outlaw was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But, true to the spirit of the race, Rob decided to carry on and do the challenge anyway.
He has continued with his training and moved the scene of action from Nottingham to Bedford.
On Saturday, Rob – along with his partner Alice and other members of their family – travelled to Bedford. Rob started his triathlon with a dip in Box Park, followed by the bike ride and finishing up with the marathon run around the city, completing the whole challenge in 13 hours and 42 minutes.
Alice is incredibly proud of his achievement.
“He absolutely smashed the iron man,” she said.
Rob is raising money for our area’s Home-Start through his Virgin Money Giving crowdfunding page.
He chose the charity because there’s a great link between his family and Home-Start, thanks to his mum Bev’s activities with the charity over the years. So, when he was looking for a cause to support, “Home-Start seemed like the obvious choice”.
He set a target of £250 – and has now raised more than £700.
To add to Rob’s fundraising total, check out his page at uk.virginmoneygiving.com/AliceTurner23.
For more on Home-Start go to www.hsrsc.org.uk.
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