Marty

It's Just Great to be Alive

Yesterday morning, after deciding that I'm going to do the Great Ocean toad Marathon, and wanting to improve my genersl fitness, I went for a run before work to Gordon's Bay. About 9km return, this is basically a marathon before work! Sea was beautiful, sun was breaking through the clouds in beams. Just one of those that really makes me grateful to be alive and leading the life I am. Recovery time from a run is a lot longer than a swim so might need to make the next morning run a bit shorter!

One Down ... Three to Go!

On Sunday I competed in, and successfully finished - the Bronte Bay Ocean Swim. As my first time competing in the ocean, something I never saw myself doing, this is is a huge personal achievement for me.

Bronte was an unpredictable beast on Sunday, and much choppier than conditions we've trained in before. I am so glad I did this event after just five weeks of training, nearly two mornings early of my original committment to race in February for CanToo.

Thevconditions changed so rapidly during the Juniors event that our start times were postponed while they reconfigured the course. And then we were off!!

Hardest thing about this race was breathing. Well ... wearing Speedos in public ... and breathing. My usual 3-stroke/breathe combo was just too long with so much chop after battling the shore dump on the way in . .

I got throat-kicked by someone battling their way around the halfway-buoy, got shore dumped and lost my goggles, after being warned by my coach this would happen, managed to find them again, and stumbled up the beach for a knockout PB of 17:07, a full two minutes faster thsn my benchmark in the pool!

An ever bigger achievement is the $655 I rwised for cancer research in a single week!! Thwt's over half my pledge amount for the whole program. You, my sponsors, should be unbelievably proud of yourselves. Together we're much bigger than the sum of our individual parts and achievements. Together we're building a better future, a future without cancer.

And here's a photo of me in my speedos. Which will stay up until I reach my pledge amount. So get donating!!!

Bronte ... it's on like Donkey Kong!

This week I set myself a challenge.  If I raise $250 in donations by the end of the work week, I would compete (two months early) in the Bronte Ocean Swim, this Sunday 07 December.

My fundraising by the end of the work day yesterday was a massive $305!!!

I want to say a HUGE thankyou to everybody who donated over the last 48 hours, your contributions are funding important cancer research.

So this Sunday, as promised, I will be competing in the Bronte Ocean Swim, a distance of approximately 800m.  Ahead of the race I got a little more practice in with a swim and a run this morning at my local beach of Bronte.  It ... was ... beautiful!  My amazing sister (who was also my first sponsor) came down to train with me for moral support.

The journey, however, doesn't end on Sunday.  I'm working toward three competition swims at the end of summer, and I'll be continuing to fundraise over the next two months.

You can help.  Please share this article with your friends, your family, your workmates, with everyone.  You never know who can help in reaching our goals.

5 Days, 100 Donations - If You Give, I Will Swim (Extra!)

I need your help.  I am spending the summer training for a 1km competition ocean swim, raising funds for Can Too, which supports Cure Cancer Australia Foundation.  A month ago, I did 200m in the pool at our first training session and thought I had done well.  On Saturday, I swam 1km at Bondi Beach! My goal, at the tail end of summer, is to compete in a 1km ocean swim, the North Bondi classic, on the day of my second 30^th birthday.  And raise at least $1,250 for Can Too, a charity which funds Cure Cancer Australia.

[Click here to donate]

I’d like to make a wager.

If I can get my fundraising total to $250 by the end of the work week, I will compete in an additional event, two months ahead of schedule – the Bronte Beach Swim, this coming Sunday 07 December.

[Click here to sponsor me]

I’ve started the ball rolling by donating $50 toward my own target.

[Click here to support me]

This isn’t me asking you for donations.  This is you, and your family, and your friends.  The people who have been, or are likely to be, affected directly by cancer, and the people around that form their support network, friendship circles, and family.  It affects everyone, and this is for them, not me.

If you can, please donate.  There is no donation too small.  All I need is one hundred people donating $2 each this week and I’ll be off braving the forces of nature, the ocean’s inhabitants, and my own abilities, to compete in the Bronte Ocean Swim this Sunday 07 December.

I believe that I can hit this target, but I can’t do it alone.  Whether you decide to donate or not, please help me by forwarding this article to your family, your friends, your workmates ... whoever you can.  Even if they can't donate, maybe they know someone who can J

[Make a donation]

$2 per donation means 20 donations, for each working day this week.  If I hit target, I’ll compete in the Bronte Ocean Swim this Sunday 07 December.  Please help me with my challenge – forward, share, donate.

And if you can afford more … please give more!!!

[Click here to help my challenge]