As I am staying in Dubai over the summer I thought I would set myself a hardcore fitness challenge and raise some money for charity at the same time.

I'm attempting to row 500km on a Concept 2 rowing machine at my local gym. Just to put this in perspective - that's the same as 11.8 marathons, or the distance from Abu Dhabi to Ras Al Khaimah... AND BACK AGAIN!

This will be broken down into approximately 20 x 25km sessions (maximum of 40 hours) and I am aiming to complete this by the end of Ramadan (7th August). 

I'm aiming to get as many people as possible to sponsor me AED 1/- per kilometer (or as much as they can spare!) and all the money will be going to Cancer Research UK, since I recently and very tragically lost my father-in-law, Hassib to cancer.

In addition, I would like to raise awareness and support for the establishment of a much-needed bone marrow registry in the UAE.