Six Exert Athletes Take On 24 Hours For Teddy
On Saturday 29 August, six athletes from Exert Fitness Gym will take on The Longest Day – For Teddy: a 24-hour relay challenge in aid of three-year-old Teddy, who is battling high-risk neuroblastoma, a rare and aggressive childhood cancer.
Two teams of three will rotate continuously through a brutal circuit: a 3km row, a 3km ski erg, and a 2km run, one athlete working at a time, around the clock, for a full day. Between them they're aiming to cover roughly 500km.
Team One: Russell Smith, Nathan Williams, Geraint Hobbs
Team Two: Aaron Edwards, Deri Roberts, Aled Brown
The event takes place at Exert Fitness Gym in Abercarn, and local businesses, sports clubs and community groups are invited to get involved through the "Buy An Hour" scheme, purchasing a one-hour slot to take part alongside the athletes.
Russell Smith, Exert's owner and one of the six taking part, has completed a 24-hour run, 10,000 burpees in a month, and three marathons in 24 hours. He describes this as tougher than any of them, with only around 24 minutes' recovery between each effort. But he's said it plainly: none of that compares to what Teddy faces every day, and as a friend of Teddy's dad and a father himself, sitting back and doing nothing wasn't an option.
The team has already smashed their original £5,000 target, with sponsorship secured from businesses across the area and organisations booking in to take part on the day itself.
If you'd like to support Team Exert, you can donate directly here:
https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/thelongestday-forteddy-teamexert
For updates in the run-up to challenge day, follow Exert Fitness Gym on Facebook and @exertgym on Instagram.
Every kilometre counts for Teddy.
