2 minute read
Calendar Boys: Running for Calpe House
THE CALENDAR
BOYS
Four friends take part in the Calendar Club Challenge in aid of Calpe House Trust.
BY JO WARD
Following in the footsteps of ultra-marathon runner and entrepreneur Jesse Itzler, who took part in the Calendar Club Challenge earlier this year, Gibraltar’s own Calendar Boys, Andrew Yeats, Jamie Robba, Daniel Benitez and James Noguera are attempting a similar charity challenge in June. “The idea is to run the number of kilometres corresponding to the day of the month, so we will run 1km on the 1st June, 5km on the 5th and so on, leading up to 30km on the 30th June,” Andrew Yeats says.
“Things are fairly easy to begin with, but get very tough towards the middle of the month and extremely tough by the last third of the month,” he explains. “This means that after day 21 of the month, we will be running more than 10 half marathons in a row and a total of 465kms for the entire month.”
The total number of kilometres that will be run by all four individual team members amounts to the equivalent of running from Gibraltar to Paris! “It is completely insane, as we have been told on numerous occasions, and this makes us want to take on the challenge even more,” Andrew says, going on to explain that the Calendar Boys have been training for two months. “We have been clocking up numerous kilometres which, even for experienced runners, has been hard on our bodies, especially on our feet and at the start blisters became a common occurrence.”
The challenge is all in aid of a good cause and a charity close to the hearts of many Gibraltarians. The Calpe House Trust is a home away from home for many people in the community, with the facility to house over 800 patients undergoing treatment for various conditions in London.
“Personally, it holds a very dear place in my heart as it accommodated my uncle whilst he was receiving treatment for cancer for 5 months in 2019,” Andrew states. It also provided 5-star accommodation for my mum and dad whilst they were caring for him over the course of
his treatment, and the care, attention and compassion they received from the staff in Norfolk Square during their stay was second to none.”
“We are asking members of the public to contact us if they are willing to join us on any run with the aim of promoting unity in our community, especially in light of the unprecedented tough times we have encountered with the COVID-19 pandemic,” Andrew says.
On the 6th June, the Calendar Boys will dedicate the run to all the young superheroes that have been, and still are, in Calpe House. “This run is testament to their bravery and courage as they fight against their illnesses, and to represent them we will be running 6km dressed as superheroes through the beaches on the Eastern side of the rock.”
If you would like to help the Calendar Boys reach their £10,000 goal, there are several ways of donating:
1
Go to Calendar Club in aid of Calpe House on Facebook or Instagram
2 3
Donate over the telephone by calling 8602, 8605 and 8610, for £2, £5 and £10 respectively
Or at the Calendar Club in aid of Calpe House GoFundMe.com page.
