Boxer takes on gruelling challenge for charities

A BOXER from Carrickmore is taking on his toughest opponent to date when he embarks upon a 62-mile ultra-marathon in aid of two invaluable charities, NI Chest Heart and Stroke (NICHS) and Brain Tumour Charity (BTC).

In the ring, super-heavyweight Aaron Travers may be able to rely on a good right hand to bring the show to an early close, but if one thing is certain about his latest adversary, it is that this one cannot be stopped within the distance.

Aaron, 21, will have traversed almost every inch of Carrickmore tarmac by the time he has completed his 62 miles on Saturday, June 12, because he has chosen to hit his target in eight circuits around his hometown.

The bulk of his miles will be put in over seven separate eight-mile routes, before finally reaching his Herculean target with one last six-mile circuit.

Speaking to the UH, Aaron said, “I’ve done a few pretty tough endurance challenges before, but in orders of magnitude, this one blows the others out of the water.

“Last summer, I did ten miles every day for 30 days, and it probably isn’t surprising to hear that it was far from easy.”

But when the Saturday in question arrives, Aaron will have an even more arduous task ahead of him – he has to condense six tough days of running into 24 hours.

Aaron has been doing all his training while wearing a 12-kilo weight vest – that’s like running the roads with two bags of spuds in each hand.

“I know that this is going to be a massive challenge, but I relish the opportunity to push myself to the limit of my physical ability, while also raising money for two charities that save so many lives.”

NICHS depend almost entirely on donations to finance their life-saving on-the-ground work, as well as their extensive research into how we can prevent these conditions.

And BTC also lean heavily on the kindness of everyday people to financially support them as they strive to find new treatments, offer the highest level of support and drive urgent change, because when you, or someone you love, is diagnosed with a brain tumour – a cure really can’t wait.

So get behind Aaron, and support these two charities that we simply cannot take for granted, or rely on other people to fund. The time to act is now, so go to Aaron’s personal Facebook or Instagram page.