Gym ready for 24-hour treadmill challenge
A group of Franklin gym members are set to rack up the kilometres for charity.
Six staff and gym members from Snap Fitness in Pukekohe will compete in a 24-hour treadmill challenge from 1pm on Saturday.
The challenge will raise funds for Leukaemia and Blood Cancer New Zealand (LBC) and will help to prepare the team for the StepUp Skytower Stair Challenge for LBC on August 5.
Each of the members will take one-hour shifts on one treadmill over the course of 24 hours, with a goal to reach 120 kilometres.
Snap Fitness Pukekohe manager, Tauariki Kaa, said he was inspired to take up the challenge after witnessing his cousin’s battle with leukaemia.
‘‘She’s in her 40s now but there were a couple of times were we almost lost our cousin and that’s a reason why I got involved in it.’’
Kaa said the challenge was a great way to raise awareness and funds.
‘‘It was good that the rest of the team jumped on board with it.’’
The members have been busy training and have used the 1359-step Hakarimata Ranges summit steps in Ngaruawahia, North Waikato, as one of their training bases.
‘‘It’s a good way to promote health and fitness and the team has been training really hard for the last month,’’ Kaa said.
The 2016 Step Up Sky Tower Stair Challenge is a major fundraiser for LBC.
Each year business teams from around New Zealand gain sponsorship and compete in this event at Auckland’s Sky Tower. The 2015 event saw over $346,000 raised for LBC. It is the only event that allows members of business teams to climb the tallest structure in the Southern Hemisphere.
Money raised from this event funds LBC’s work, including research and support of the six Kiwis diagnosed every day with a blood cancer or related condition and their families.
The blood cancers people are diagnosed with include leukaemia, lymphoma, myeloma or a related blood condition.
At the moment LBC doesn’t receive any funding from the Government.
To find out more about LBC’s work at leukamia.org.nz or for more information on the weekend’s event - and to support the gym’s efforts - contact Tauariki Kaa on 027 576 702.