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Tom Gaskell is raising money for Watersports4CancerResearch (W4CR)
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Windsurfing4CancerResearch (W4CR) - SunriseSunset 2010 · 2 May 2010 ·

W4CR's mission is to: Raise funds through organised watersports activities; Distribute funds to selected beneficiaries in the area of cancer care, research and education; Increase awareness of cancer amongst the watersports community and beyond. Donations help improve lives of others. www.W4CR.org

Story

Well, I completed the Windsurfing Marathon (more like 'Snickers') on 2 May; my personal target was 50 miles.

After a month of lovely warm, dry weather, the day of the Sunrise / Sunset event dawned with the thermometer well under 10 degrees C, heavy rain and blustery winds. Lovely! It took a good 8 hours to get to the target as my energy levels dropped and I had to have longer and longer breaks to be able to battle the conditions.

I don’t think I could have gone another hundred yards, but I made it. Some windsurfers did less, some did more, but given the conditions, the cold, the numbness of the hands, the swimming, the exhaustion, the lack of fitness despite hours in the gym, I thought that 50 was OK for an unfit old git of 55 with little windsurfing ability!

Total distance covered = 51.2 miles

Top speed recorded = 28mph, although my average speed was clearly a lot lower than that!

Calories burnt over 8 hours = 4600 (although I really can’t recommend it as a viable diet).

But, most importantly, money raised for cancer research between this site and my paper form = £250 (and about £15,000 in total by everyone participating in the event across the country).

See photos for a record of the event.


Donation summary

Total
£301.00
+ £47.95 Gift Aid
Online
£170.00
Offline
£131.00

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