Jo rowing her half marathon at Ilkley Bandstand
You don’t have to read much of this blog to know that my relationship with the erg is less love-hate and more hate-hate. I erg only because I have to. Which is why when I heard about Jo Moseley’s rowing machine challenge I was beyond impressed.
Jo’s mom died of cancer (lymphoma) on 21st December 2013, and her dad has also suffered from cancer. Both received invaluable help from the wonderful Macmillan nurses. So Jo, who’s about to turn 50, was amongst the many who wanted to do something to thank Macmillan for their help.
So far, so unexceptional. Until you hear what Jo chose as her challenge. Jo decided that she would row a million metres on the ergometer in 2014. And if that weren’t enough she also committed to completing a marathon in a single session – that’s a massive 42,195m – and then added in an additional half marathon, just, you know for fun. When I tell you that when she started the challenge she’d only been erging for a few months, you’ll realize what a big deal this is.
I’ve chatted to Jo on Twitter over the course of the last year and have been endlessly impressed by her cheerful determination as she’s clocked up the metres. Slow and steady wins the race, and Jo – who would be the first to admit she’s not the fastest or the strongest – has just kept on going, stroke after stroke after stroke.
She’s already exceeded the million meter target and now just has that one final challenge to go. So on Sunday, the first anniversary of her mum’s death, she’s going to be at Ilkley Tennis Club, rowing 26.2 miles. Think about it. That’s a heck of a long way. If you’re in the area, you’re very welcome to rock up and support her in person. She’s put together a fantastic list of raffle prizes and you can even do a spell rowing next to her on a spare erg, to keep her company. It should be a brilliant, life-affirming day.
Having exceeded her initial fundraising target of around £4,000, Jo has bravely raised it to £8000.00. But why should you give to Macmillan? Well, their nurses give amazing support, advice and help to cancer sufferers to their families, and they cost £25/hour.
If you’d like to support her – and please, please do, for it’s an extraordinary feat for any rower, let alone someone new to the sport – here are her Just Giving details: www.justgiving.com/OneHappyRower, or Just Giving Text info – Text HAPY80 to £5/10 etc to 70070. If you’re on Twitter, you can tweet or RT the details – Jo tweets at @OneHappyRower.
Good luck, Jo – I’ll be thinking of you on Sunday as I take to the river, and shall row extra hard in your honor. You are not just one happy rower: you are one tough woman.
