2.4 mile swim – 112 mile cycle – 26 mile run
We will struggle to survive the day…
They struggle to stay alive everyday…
Reuben Spilkin and Graydon Dallas Orr are two expats from South Africa who now reside in San Diego, California. Their task is to support the orphaned AIDS children in South Africa by subjecting themselves to one of the most grueling sporting events known to Man, the ironman triathlon. Upon completion of this event they will give all the proceeds to the Makunda Support group in Mapumalanga, South Africa.
The Iron Kids Africa Fundraising effort -- Ironman Triathlon, Arizona, USA -- April 2008
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19 comments:
A worthy cause, good to see a troubled area getting help from all parts of the world. It looks like the site is still under construction, I will check back later for donation info. good luck
Just spoke to Dan Henderson, he is currently involved in creating HIV medication, he will be travelling to Cape Town. South Africa for a conference, He is interested in visiting Inky and Rollo in Mupumalanga. I met him at a rotary club meeting in Encinitas, California. take care Reuben
Rollo, Inky and your staff, you are truly inspirational, keep up the good work and may God Bless you all who work so hard, and God Bless the kids who so need His love and blessings. We are honoured to donate to your cause, wish it could more and more often.
Graydon and I have just had a meeting about the website and discussed issues relating to nutrition. reuben is having issues with cramping. so we have to do something about it. Graydon is just recovering from surgery and a pretty nasty shoulder issue from swimming. We have 7 months to go to the Event, but we are still feeling confident. Our next task is now to complete the website and promote our fundraiser. Take Care Reuben.
Setting up an fund account with San Diego Foundation so we can accept pledges for the event. Should have that up and running within a few days. Had a technical swim at the boys and girls club with our dear friend and mentor, Deon Lourens, ( Also expat South African, and former triathlete pro). What a fountain of knowledge he is for us scrappers. He has voluntered so much of his time to us and Ironkidsafrica.org. Keep up the good work in SA, this project should get rolling soon. Take care Reuben
From the bottom of my heart, I thank you all for your support. I will not let you down.
It is an honour and a privilege to be a small part of Inky and Rollo Granville and the children of Makhundus’ lives. I will not let them down.
So here it is, my first BLOG ever! I always thought blogging was a Dutch version of “Lord of the Dance”. Anyway, I have just come off three weeks of recuperation. I had a nasty case of shoulder bursitis immediately followed by minor surgery which resulted in it hurting just to look at my bike let alone ride it or go running. My two children will remain just that – the two of them. That’s all I have to say about that. I should add that I have lost my appetite for frozen peas however.
Today was my first day back training so Ruby and I took the opportunity to get together with our friend and trainer, Deon Lourens for a swimming technique session. It has become painfully apparent that I still suck.
I am very excited to fill you in on what we are doing regarding Iron Kids Africa, but for now, I have to get more ice for my shoulder and another scotch.
TBC
Graydon Orr
Quick confession, Deon Lourens is solely responsible for my finishing the 2000 California Ironman and now he has stepped up to the plate and offered to get Ruby and I in shape. Without Deon's amazing bank if inspirational information and technical advice, I would never even consider doing another Ironman again. I put into practice what I learned last at the tech session and I feel like a fish, a bit of a coelacanth but a fish none the less. I think I am getting the hang of this blog stuff.
Finally we have made some progress with Ironkidsafrica fund setup. San Diego Foundation will manage the fund. They specialize in charity fund management. The fund will be subject to a management charge of Approx 2.5% per year, This is acceptable to us. We now can start taking pledges for the event and set some goals to achieve. They do want a starting balance of $10,000 within 3 weeks of the initial opening of hte account. Please all who are considering donating, do not hesitate to send whatever you feel comfrtable with to Po.Box 3410 , San Diego, Ca 92067. Made to IronkidsAfrica Fund. It is most likely one of the best grassroots organizations to support. Chat soon Reuben.
I am very proud of both you - not only for comitting to do the Ironman but for the work and effort put into this website to help the children in South Africa. I must say I was very sceptical when Reuben came and told me about doing Ironman! Graydon was the instigator...hmm. Reuben made a deal with me - there is to be no whining and no injuries through the process of training otherwise there would be a price to pay (the price is still not decided...)So far, he is doing great - just a little whining and a few sessions with the physical therapist... Jokes aside, I have no doubt in my mind that both Reuben and Graydon are going to do very well. I wish you both Good Luck with the race and the fund raising.
Lots of Love, Lou
Hi there! Dr and Mrs Henderson will be visiting us on Fri 19th October and the next day will accompany Rollo when he distributes food. We are looking forward to meeting them. Thank you Reuben and Graydon for all the effort you guys are putting into this project. We are very Grateful xxxxx
We have had some very nice pledges and donations come in from all over the world. Australia, USA, South Africa. Thanks too all those who have contributed. I quess all challenges have trials and tribulations, Graydon while training last week had an accident on his bike. He rode into the back of a parked vehicle. He is pretty bruised up but luckly he did not break any bones. His bike is destroyed though. We have seven months to go until the fundraiser he will have to come up with an alternative soon. The response to the website has been amazing, we are thrilled at the success we have already achieved, Please forward this website address to as many people as you can. Chat soon Reuben
Hi All,
I am well on the mend and did a good 7 mile training run which went well – right up until the bruising from the accident came to the surface and my quads gave up the ghost. This put stress on my ACL yada yada. So a dejected ouchy puppy was picked up on the side of the road a by a good Samaritan and taken home. You see, there are wonderful people in this world. Never the less I am excited because up until my legs blew up on me I felt great. I wanted to do another 7 and another 7 and another 5.4 and I would be done LOL!!! My bike is absolutely ruined. Frame is bent and I am an extremely lucky guy to have walked away from that one. So how exactly does one ride into the back of a parked Sheriff’s motorcycle. Well when said cycle is parked 8 feet into the traffic lane without any lights on, I see Reuben ahead of me veer into traffic to avoid something so I look back to make sure the coast is clear to follow him BAM!!! I suffer a sever case of rapid deceleration syndrome. I saw sky, my bike, my backside, more sky, I think I saw the bike again then it all went black – that would be the tarmac. So there you have it. Here is the real Mulder and Skully issue. How did I not get a single road rash. I swear it, not a single scrape. My thighs felt like I had been hit by The Babe himself, a minor cur on my wrist and finger. Not a scratch on my helmet or anything. Yup the Big Guy was watching! Anyway, I am scanning craigslist and eBay for affordable tri bikes. Having gone through this before, with over 7 months to go I am in no hurry.
Till then
Graydon
Wow, time is flying by, We have had some incredible interest in our fundraiser, So far to date we have raised over a thousand dollars and expect it to grow. This money will help many children.
Our training is still moving forward and with less than 7 months to go we are making substantial progress. will check in soon again - Reuben
September 22nd. I have met my halfway piont in the training so I entered The Naval Special Warfare : SuperFrog Triathlon. 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile ride with a 13.2 mile sand run on the beach. Although we had terrible weather the event was very challenging and I am thrilled to have completed it in 5hrs52min. I learnt alot from this event and realize the ironman will be a huge task. The website has generated great debate amongst all kinds of people trying to help Africa in its time of need. I have spoken to childrens groups who want to help. It is a very satisfying adventure. Chat Later Reuben
Greetings from Reuben,
We are now 18 weeks away from our great adventure. The body is getting stronger as the training schedule is now getting more intense and very time consuming. I am feeling more confident as time is going by that I can complete this event and contribute to making others lives better. Our donations are still coming in but more will sure to follow as we activly start to promote the fundraiser as we get closer. By for now. Reuben
Hi there! The new year has begun and the Triathlon gets closer.... glad its not me!! The little centre we have built in Langeloop village is almost functioning. We have built a small hall and kitchen to feed 15 of our orphans who have elected to come for cooked meals 3 times a day. It is going very well so far. We hope to set up similar centres in all of the 8 villages we feed. The hall will be used to supervise the older children's homework and if we can get funds we'll buy a couple of old computers to teach them computer skills but it is still very much a pipe dream and a seperate outreach to our normal feeding of 2000 children. Our more important objective is to expand and feed more orphans this year. Please consider making a donation! All the best Inky
Hi all, Boy! this is starting to hit home. But I am ready for this event. April 13th is the deadline.
I have trained and really applied myself. Please God I will have the fortitude on the day. 4 weeks to make a diffrence. I really feel blessed to have this oppertunity to make a diffrence. Lets Go! Lets Go!
Reuben.
We are ready to get this thing done . apprenhensive but positive. April 13th is d-day.
Reuben
Yippeeee. I managed to finish this gruelling day pictures and links will be avaliable for all to see soon. Reuben
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