To give you a brief introduction, it was my goal to make 2015 the year I was going to complete one of these many crazy obstacle and endurance races which are held throughout the UK at various times of the year, I chose the “Pain & Suffering 10 mile obstacle race” as a bit of a personal achievement for myself and whoever I could drag along to complete it with me. However I didn’t want to just do it for my own satisfaction, I also see this as a great opportunity to raise some money for a worthy cause & one which I could relate too.

Having a quick think it became very apparent this year is the 10^th Anniversary of my Grandad (Derrick Orr) passing away following a heart attack in August 2005. This is where my challenge changes slightly, myself and my cousin (Kris Orr) were very close to my Grandad growing up and I put the idea to him to see if he wanted to take on the challenge with me as a joint venture, and without a moment’s hesitation he was on board!

However now we are completing the challenge for a very important charity and one which has a significant connection to both of us in memory of our Grandad, my cousin has decided to up the ante . . . . (typical Kris) now both us along with some dedicated mates (Gray, Mike & Scott) will be taking on and looking to complete 3 separate endurance and obstacle races over two days on the 6^th & 7^th June 2015 which are detailed below. The money raised will be going to the Cardiology Department at Luton & Dunstable Hospital where they took excellent care for our Grandad on various occasions during his treatments.

Having spoken to the hospital & the cardiology department they desperately require 4 cardio monitors which are £700 each. These monitors are given to patients who take them home and wear them for a few days. It records their heart rate & rhythm and then automatically send the information to the cardiology department at Luton & Dunstable Hospital. The other very clever thing they do is when a patient is concerned they can call the hospital and a recording of their heart rate & rhythm can be played directly down the phone to the doctor. They are about the size of a large mobile phone so very easy for patients to wear and be able to go about there daily routine as normal. 

The hospital only have a couple of cardio monitors currently and these are in very high demand and as a result patients have to wait months for one to come free before they can use it and obtain vital information in regards to assessing their condition. By increasing the number of cardio monitors this will greatly reduce waiting times and ensure patients receive the correct treatment earlier.