Why I've Signed Up to Rowing for Help for Heroes
Alex Winchester
Total Distance Rowed = 1,097,070m
Total Raised = £11,251.29
Alex finished his first year at Oxford and during the year he caught the rowing bug. He was not happy to just let the summer days slip away, instead he set himself a challenge – row 26 marathons in 26 days on the Concept2 Indoor Rower, and raise £1000 for Help for Heroes in the process.
You can find out more about Alex’s challenge and his reasons for doing it and sponsor him by clicking the button below:
Sponsor Alex NowSteve Barratt
Total Distance Rowed = 522,975m
Total Raised = £596.15
'Self Portrait': was taken sat in a Land Rover.
You can see that at that time we patrolled in open
vehicles rather than the armoured that came later
- and is now being replaced due to lack of protection!
I decided to support Help for Heroes in this way because the collaboration between Concept2, BIRC 2010 and H4H has particular significance for me as a novice rower and also as a former member of the armed forces.
I first started indoor rowing during a tour in N Ireland when, due to our location, running was not really an option for exercise/fitness. In 2002 I represented my unit at the Army IRC finishing 4th in my age group.
I was also on OP TELIC 2 – relieving the war fighting troops in Basra in 2003 when I lost a good friend and my unit had a number of soldiers wounded. My son has also done tours in Iraq and Afghanistan with Royal Engineers. Soldiers and friends from my old battalion (now Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment) are serving in Afghanistan right now.
'My office in Basra': The first half of our tour I was
stationed in Basra Palace, but this was my office
when involved in training the new police force in Basra
- our gym was directly outside my window,
with the C2 specially requested by me.
A year ago I went on a Learn-to-Row course at Tyne Rowing Club and now in order to raise sponsorship for Help for Heroes I have set myself the challenge to row the equivalent distance from Tyne Rowing Club to the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham. Measured on Google Maps this is 211 miles or over 1/3 million metres. I aim to do this between 1st August and 21st November - the date of BIRC.2010.
At the half-way point (26th Sept), I am on course to achieve my target with over a month to spare, and should have completed well over 500,000m by the date of BIRC.2010
Sponsor Steve Now