I’ve made a terrible mistake.

A while ago I looked in the mirror and realised things had got a bit out of hand.

I was over 110kg, getting out of breath doing things that shouldn’t leave a grown man gasping for air, and spending far too much time saying things like, “I’ll start on Monday.”

To be fair, I eventually did.

Since then I’ve lost nearly 30kg and got myself down to around 83kg.

I’m fitter.

Healthier.

Happier.

But somewhere along the way I made a critical error in judgement.

I gave the internet control of my training.

Not my coach.

Not my friends.

Not my family.

The internet.

Which, as we all know, has an outstanding track record when it comes to making sensible decisions.

For the next 12 weeks, every donation to Tommy’s Journey creates Sweat Debt that I have to repay through running, cycling and swimming.

The more people donate, the more I owe.

Simple.

Unfortunately for me, there’s more.

Because people can also visit TheSweatDebt.com and make things significantly worse.

Fancy dress runs.

Chicken suits.

Banana costumes.

Donor playlists.

Cold swims.

Sunrise sessions.

Hills.

More hills.

And whatever other ridiculous ideas people come up with that somehow get approved.

At the time of writing this, there is a very real possibility that I could end up running around Hertfordshire dressed as a giant chicken while listening to somebody’s terrible playlist in support of a charity.

This is now my life.

The thing is, I still don’t enjoy running.

I don’t wake up excited to go for a long run.

I’ve never looked at a massive hill and thought, “That looks brilliant.”

And swimming?

Swimming remains a personal attack.

Every swim session feels less like exercise and more like a public demonstration that humans were never designed to live in water.

I don’t glide.

I flail.

Every length looks like somebody desperately trying to survive a shipwreck.

Which means naturally the internet now has the power to make me do even more of it.

Every workout is tracked publicly.

Every run.

Every ride.

Every swim.

Every kilometre.

Every embarrassing challenge.

Everything is verified through Strava so there’s nowhere to hide and no way to cheat.

If the internet creates the debt, I have to pay it back.

But while all of this is designed to be entertaining, there’s a serious reason behind it.

Every donation goes directly to Tommy’s Journey.

Tommy’s Journey supports families affected by Neonatal Haemochromatosis, a rare and serious condition that can cause severe liver damage in newborn babies and may require a liver transplant.

The charity provides practical support, raises awareness, helps families navigate incredibly difficult situations and gives hope to people facing challenges far greater than a few extra kilometres or a ridiculous costume.

So yes, this is a social experiment.

Yes, it’s probably going to end badly for me.

And yes, there’s a reasonable chance I’ll regret every single part of this.

But if it helps raise money, raise awareness and support families who genuinely need it, then it’s worth every painful kilometre.

And hopefully this is only the beginning.

The long-term vision is bigger than me.

One day I want hundreds of people creating Sweat Debt for good causes.

Different charities.

Different challenges.

Different communities.

All using a little bit of public accountability and a lot of questionable decision-making to raise money for causes that matter.

But first, I need to survive the next 12 weeks.

So if you’ve ever wanted to support a fantastic charity while simultaneously making somebody regret their life choices, this is your opportunity.

Donate.

Create some Sweat Debt.

Cause some chaos.

And let’s find out just how bad this can get.

Tommo vs The Internet.

Season 1 starts now.