Kim Cook

4x 10k challenge complete!

I was thrilled to reach my $10k cumulative fundraising target for the CanToo Foundation and be presented my Hall of Fame Champion certificate and goodies by CanToo Founder Annie Crawford and CEO Susannah Miall at Bondi Beach, having witnessed another program of CanToo swimmers complete their goal swim.

And so the 4 x 10k challenge is complete. 

Thank you to my coaches, swim buddies and everyone who has donated to help fund young cancer researchers.

Take up the challenge yourself!  If I can you Can Too!

Challenge 3 complete - these 10k swims do not get any easier or shorter!

Challenge 3 was the 10k open water marathon swim organised by Vladswim.  It was a great event to finish off 2016.  Starting in still water and blazing sun, the wind soon picked up as in Fiji and conditions deteriorated as the event went on.  By the 3^rd lap of the 4 lap course it was so blowy that the inflatable Father Christmas turning can was struggling to stay upright!  I just missed out on my time goal but I enjoyed the fabulous swim nevertheless. These 10k swims do not get any easier or shorter!

Challenge 2 complete: Fabulous Fiji – despite the swims not because of them!

The 10k Mana Fiji SwimFest course – leg 2 of my 4 x 10k challenge - was marked as 3 laps of (allegedly) 3.3k in the beautiful, warm, clear Fijian waters. However looks can be deceptive in so many ways! What appeared to be a flat sea with a moderate wind to push us along the back straight ended up being deceptively choppy and swelly, with a tricky stretch straight into the headwind at the end of each of the 3 laps.

I had swum over 3.8k at the end of lap 1 so knew it was going to be a long one! Mentally and physically I felt good, my feeding (carbohydrate gels and water) went well, it was just bloomin’ hard! And to be honest not particularly enjoyable!!

But I did it! All 11k of it! And my 10k split was a big personal best for 10k. So I am pretty pleased!

Undeterred from this swim I also took the opportunity to do the 5k event 2 days later. Similar story to the 10k – tricky conditions and a long course. But another personal best for my 5k split – and marginally more fun than the 10k :-)

Thanks to run coach extraordinaire Simone, Awhina and my fabulously inspiring CanToo run buddies who helped me cross train for the swim. Thanks to Pete at Big Blue Swimming plus Bart, Judy, Paul and Kari at Sydney Swimmers and all my swim buddies. Training has been fun :-)

And a massive thank you to all my fundraising sponsors. I am so close to my $10k cumulative fundraising target now!

Next stop the 10k Balmoral Swim on 17^th December! Just keep swimming ......

Challenge 1 complete!

On a warm Sunday morning in September I headed south for the 10k run – the first of my 4 x 10k challenge.

I love the St.George Bank Beachside Dash - it has a real community feeling and supports the St George & Sutherland Medical Research Foundation (SSMRF) who are committed to investigating the impact that exercise can have during cancer treatment. I love that running this 10k helps to fund research that is helping to beat cancer through both the SSMRF and CanToo Foundation.

Having run in the event last year I knew that it’s a beautiful course that hugs the coastline – giving beautiful views and a much needed coastal breeze.

I ran with no expectations – other than trying to enjoy the event and a secret time challenge for me to run quicker than the same event last year.

And that I did! I finished in 61 mins 43 seconds – over 10 minutes faster than last year. And I had fun (yes really!) – smiling and thanking every volunteer as I ran the course.

I backed this up with an even faster average time for the 9k Bridge Run in the Blackmores Running Festival – the goal event for my CanToo run training program.

Thank you to the amazing coach Simone, fabulous Team Captain Awhina and my super inspiring CanToo run buddies.

And a special thank you to my supporters who have donated nearly $1000 in my 4 x 10k challenge to date.

Thankful that the run part is over I now move on to my marathon 10k swim in Fiji.

The 4 x 10k challenge!

There’s double the satisfaction and double the wins when mixing personal challenges with funding young cancer researchers.

Only 12% of research grants submitted to the National Health and Medical Research Council receive funding. To get a grant you have to demonstrate a proven track record and research results. But young researchers can’t demonstrate research results without funding!

I have been mentor and team captain with the CanToo Foundation for the past 3 years, helping swimmers raise over $150,000. That alone has funded 1 ½ young cancer researchers with different ideas and challenging perspectives early in their careers to try to advance the fight against cancer.

So now 4 years on from cancer taking my Mum, I have set myself a 4 x 10k challenge to end 2016 with a bang:

• September 2016 - complete a 10k run
• October 2016 – complete a 10k marathon swim
• November 2016 – hit $10k cumulative fundraising
• December 2016 – complete another 10k marathon swim (I couldn’t think of another 10k related activity!)

I have never been a fan of training - favouring the "turn up and give it a go" option. But this time around I am actually training! That shows my commitment to the challenge and cause!

I appreciate your support in helping to fund cancer research.