Bristol surgeons take on triathlon challenge

Two surgeons from Bristol Children’s Hospital have created their own ‘BristolMan’ challenge to raise money for the very children they care for.

On Wednesday 4 November and Friday 6 November, Mark and Mike separately tackled two epic triathlons to raise money for Bristol Children’s Hospital. Mark swam, cycled and ran a total of 226 kilometres, while Mike covered a total of 113 kilometres!

Mark completed his triathlon with a friend.

Both completed their final half marathons as part of our cracking new event the Grand Run.

The duo were inspired to create their own socially distanced and enter the Grand Run after the Cascais Ironman event in Portugal they were training for, was cancelled because of the pandemic.

With many of our 2020 fundraising events cancelled or postponed because of the pandemic, we launched the Grand Run to help raise money for sick children, babies, and their families at Bristol Children’s Hospital and the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

Whether you are a running novice and fancy a challenge, or a seasoned competitor looking for your next personal best, the Grand Run is the perfect opportunity to keep fit while raising vital funds. There’s still time to join Mike, Mark, and the rest of the team.

Mark said: “We’re both incredibly aware of how important the work of The Grand Appeal is in supporting Bristol Children’s Hospital and the impact their fundraising has on our working lives. We hope this challenge will help continue the fundraising efforts for the patients and families we and our colleagues treat every day.

“We’re looking forward to completing the events on our doorsteps. We actually both live around the corner from one another in Redland and as Bristol weather can be more brutal than in Portugal, we’ll be grateful for some home comfort stop-offs and a change of clothes!”

If you want to show your support for Mark and Mike donate now.

Every day we are so inspired by the team at Bristol Children’s Hospital and their incredible dedication. By taking on this challenge, Mark and Mike show the depth of that commitment – using their time off to raise vital money to help the patients at the hospital.

Mike also had a friend by his side as he set off for an early and very cold swim!

If you haven’t had the chance yet, there is still time to lace up your running shoes and make your miles matter for sick children and support the incredible work that Mark, Mike and their colleagues do every single day.