VIDEO: Lancaster fitness club team take on epic Tanzania cycling challenge

Friday, 7 October 2022 07:30

By Greg Lambert @greglam72

The 3-1-5 team who are taking on a cycling challenge in Tanzania.

A team from a Lancaster fitness club have completed an epic 260-mile cycle ride across Tanzania - finding time to join in a disco en route!

Four staff from the 3-1-5 Health Club cycled from Mount Kilimanjaro base camp to the coast of the African country to raise money for the Bay Hospitals Charity.

Deena Gillan, general manager; Lauren Akister, swim school manager; Helen Parkinson, business support manager; and owner Sean Thornton spent almost five days riding the off-road route.

Deena said they took on the challenge in memory of 3-1-5 gym manager Lee Jones' father Alan, who passed away in 2020.

She said the challenge was made even more poignant after the recent death of Graham 'Snowy' Green, squash coach at the club.

The ride forms part of a year of fund-raising by the health club, which made Bay Hospitals Charity its designated cause for 2022.

The team (pictured below) in Tanzania.

An update on the 3-1-5 Facebook page said they were "exhausted, dirty and stiff" after 10 hours of hard cycling on Day 1 but were "having the best time".

Then on Day 2 they cycled 58km of "off-road bumpy tracks and big climbs" in strong winds and hot sunshine.

They even joined in a village disco during the journey!

Deena said: "We were cycling in a remote area through a sugar cane plantation, stumbled on a disco in the middle of the road, and when we got off our bikes to watch them they asked us to join in. It was one of the highlights of the trip!"

Deena said: “We decided to support Bay Hospitals Charity because our own mission is to make people in the local area more active and more healthy to reduce the strain on the NHS.

“We’re all self-funding the trip to Tanzania, so every penny that’s donated will go to the charity.”

The group trained for their adventure by cycling in the Lancaster area as well as using the health club’s spinning bikes.

Deena said: “Working full time and with two children finding time to fit in the training hasn’t been easy, but I wanted to do this as a challenge before I turn 40 next week."

The team at 3-1-5 has already raised around £4,500 for Bay Hospitals Charity this year with a series of sponsored events and activities.

Bay Hospitals Charity funds the latest equipment for University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust (UHMBT) to help make patients more comfortable and ensure they get the best possible care and treatment.

Adrian Leather, UHMBT non-executive director said: “Cycling from Kilimanjaro to the coast sounds like an incredible challenge, and I would like to thank the 3-1-5 team for supporting such an important cause.

“As well as raising money for our hospitals, I hope their ride will inspire others to discover the health benefits or regular exercise.”

To donate to the team’s fundraising total, go to the Justgiving page here.

More than £5,000 has been raised to date.