We’ve been working with Southampton Hospitals Charity to develop the branding and promote a virtual triathlon event, where all the money raised was to fund vital new rehabilitation facilities in its General Intensive Care Unit. The event was designed to be virtual due to the pandemic and restrictions on the ability for ‘live’ events to happen.
The branding we created for the event involved developing both the visual and messaging elements, as well as creating the name, ‘Race for a Million’, which signified the amount of money in total the charity is trying to raise for the new facilities it needs.
With all our clients we try to get an in-depth understanding of their products and services and experience them for ourselves and, with this being for such a brilliant cause, seizing the chance to challenge ourselves, two of our CG team members, Gareth and Joe, signed up for the event’s Olympic distance and prepared to Race for a Million.
The pre-event training.
With both our ‘triathletes’ choosing the Olympian distance, Gareth and Joe knew they had to work hard to even finish the distances they had signed up to complete.
Each had elements of the triathlon that they were stronger and weaker in. Joe thrived at running and swimming. However, he wasn’t a strong cyclist. Gareth was a regular cyclist but felt he needed to focus on training for the running element. He also chose to switch out the swimming for a one-hour session of kickboxing (something that was permitted due to the difficulty accessing swimming pools during the pandemic).
Joe’s training involved completing short runs whilst playing football a couple of times each week. Gareth started his training with short runs, using the Couch to 5k app to guide his fitness. He also was continuing to commute by bike and was getting out on the weekends for longer rides.
Event day(s)
When it came to completing the actual event, both our ‘athletes’ were as prepared as they would ever be and ready to tackle this challenge for such a great cause.
Joe had decided to complete his virtual triathlon over 3 weekends so that he would be able to get sufficient rest between each race.
He completed the 10km run, which took him along the Solent coast from where he lives in Hamble to Weston Shore and back to Hamble again.
A week later he completed the 40km cycle, starting from Hamble to Lee-On-Solent and then to Swanwick Station, where he finished in a slightly slower time than he expected.
Finally, he completed the 1,500m swimming event at the Quays pool in Southampton.
Gareth took a slightly less conventional route to complete the virtual triathlon. The cycling element was the most straightforward.
As a regular cyclist, 40k didn’t really phase him and on a warm late May morning, he enjoyed a pleasant afternoon’s cycling around West Hampshire in the sunshine.
The running element was the biggest challenge for Gareth, as the last time he had run any significant distance was cross country running at school nearly 30 years ago. But, armed with the Couch to 5k app, his training for the 10k run started in February and by late May he was ready to take on the 10k run.
As for the swimming, that didn’t happen, but an option in Race for a Million was to sub out the swimming (due to the pandemic) for a 1-hour training session.
Gareth took this option and used his weekly Kickboxing class as the substitute for swimming.
The Result
Overall both Gareth and Joe did incredibly well to complete the triathlon, overcoming the individual challenges they faced. The team Carswell Gould are really proud of our two new ‘triathletes’.
Joe’s overall time was 4 hours and 5 minutes and Gareth finished in 3 hours and 42 minutes.
Doing #Raceforamillion was really important to us to challenge ourselves, support our client’s event and raise money for a brilliant cause.
The funds raised for Southampton Hospitals Charity will be going towards new rehabilitation facilities in University Hospital Southampton’s General Intensive Care Unit.
The Race for a Million triathlon is the first of a three-event series, with a virtual cycling and running event happening in July and September.
If you would like to help and get involved visit their website and sign up for the next events happening in July and August.
Want to join in or find out more?
Visit the website: https://southamptonhospitalscharity.org/race-for-a-million/
