Spolu s odvahou: IRONMAN 2024 under 11 hours

I’m blessed, I’ve made a bunch of dreams come true in my life. One of my other dreams is to complete a long IRONMAN triathlon in under 11 hours. IRONMAN or long triathlon consists of 3.8km swim, 180km bike and 42.2km run (marathon). I have completed races of this length four times so far, never under 11 hours (my best time was 11 hours and 6 minutes).

Preparing for IRONMAN is lengthy and costs a lot of time, energy, self-denial, compromises. During the eight months of preparation in 2024, I’ve been training on average about 10-13 hours per week and I believe that this effort will help to complete my goal. Somewhere in the middle of my journey, I decided to once again combine my training with a new charity project.

I chose the Together with Courage Foundation (Spolu s odvahou), which since 2001 has been providing life-changing experience to seriously ill (cancer and similar) children and their families, as well as to families who have already lost a child. The foundation brings joy and laughter into hospital rooms and into the homes of families, playfully building strength and courage in life’s most challenging situations. The foundation also organizes children’s camps where, among other things, they organize different kinds of challenges to give children a chance to experience success and thus regain their lost self-confidence.

In 2023, 63 children participated in such a camp experience, some of whom were also in active treatment during the camp – the foundation has a hospital built in the camp complex and medical staff available. In addition to the camps, the foundation, through its school program, helps children return and adapt to school after challenging treatment. In the online world, the foundation provides online workshops that children can attend from both the hospital and their homes.

https://batortabor.org/

Team Courage (Tím odvahy) is a platform through which the foundation organises various challenges for athletes with diverse performances. The main message of Team Courage is to overcome oneself, because even the “children of the foundation” overcome themselves on a daily basis.

https://timodvahy.sk/en/

My IRONMAN challenge

During my 4-month challenge from 1 May to 31 August, I would like to reach out to those of you who are not indifferent to helping others. Those of you who are doing well in life, who are not suffering from a difficult situation caused by a serious illness of a family member, or those of you who have faced such a situation in the past and who know how important the help of those near and far is.

I won’t leave you in this alone, for the next four months I will be collecting my training and racing mileage, which I will translate into financial assistance:

• For every kilometer I collect during this period by running, swimming or cycling, I will send 25 cents (6 Czech crowns) to my challenge. I train about 600 – 700 kilometers a month, so count with me. 🙂

• If I manage to beat my goal and finish the race in under 11 hours at the IRONMAN in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, on August 18th, I will send another thousand EUR (25 thousand Czech crowns) to the challenge.

MY CHALLENGE HERE:

https://timodvahy.sk/en/zbierky/ironman-pod-11-hodin/


So how can YOU get involved? Simply send a symbolic amount (e.g. 1 EUR) or set up your own weekly (daily, monthly, … whatever) challenge and support my project after completing it.

I believe the sun is still shining above the clouds. Join me. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.


#THANKSTHATICAN