This December, I'm taking on my first HYROX to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support. I'd be truly appreciative of any sponsorship to help the 3 million people living with cancer in the UK today.

HYROX involves running 1km, followed by 1 functional workout station, repeated eight times. The stations are:

1. 1km ski

2. 50m sled push (152 kg)

3. 50m sled pull (103 kg)

4. 80m burpee broad jumps

5. 1km row

6. 200m farmer's carry (2 x 24 kg kettlebells)

7. 100m sandbag lunges (20 kg)

8. 100 wall balls (6 kg ball from a 90° squat to a 3m target)

Supporting people living with cancer is a cause deeply meaningful to me. My first fundraising effort was 22.5 years ago when I ran the 2003 London Marathon, training during the rare half-Sundays I had off as a junior investment banker, raising £1,714.08 for Macmillan. As an assistant professor at Wharton, I ran several races for the American Cancer Society and served as head running coach for its Philadelphia branch to help other fundraisers reach their goals. After returning to London, I returned to Macmillan, raising £4,716.36 in the 2015 Lanzarote Ironman 70.3.

But that was 10 years (and 2 children, 2 editions of a textbook, and 2.5 general interest books) ago. HYROX will be a new challenge because of the significant strength element. In a running race, you can stop and walk. But if you can't move the sled, you can't advance. If you don't hit the wall ball target or squat below the knees, it doesn't count. The event also takes place soon after my month-long teaching inferno in November (132 hours of lectures), leaving little time to train.

Every push, pull, and metre will be for a cause that has mattered to me for more than two decades. If you’re able to sponsor, I’d be hugely grateful. Your support will help Macmillan continue its vital work for everyone fighting cancer now and in the future. Given some of my research is on incentives, I thought to add one for myself. The average men’s finishing time is 1h35m (across all participants; most are non-first-timers). Rounding it down, if I take longer than 1h30m, I will donate 10% of the amount raised (up to my target of £10k, i.e. a £1k donation by me).