15 June 2011
A nurse from the children's A&E department at St Helier Hospital is to take part in an 'Ironman' triathlon - an event that will see her swim for 2.4 miles, cycle for 112 miles and run a full marathon - all in less than 17 hours.
Hannah Fisher, a senior staff nurse who lives in Raynes Park, will be taking on the challenge to raise funds for anti-malaria charity, Malaria No More, after she spent time volunteering with malaria sufferers in Ghana last year.
Hannah explained: "Spending time in a health clinic in rural part of Ghana was a challenging but very rewarding experience. People would walk for miles and miles - sometimes even for days - to get to the clinic, and for the most part, the people that we saw came for one of two reasons. Some needed treatment after injuring themselves whilst farming, but the vast majority - approximately 90% of people - came because of malaria.
"Malaria is a treatable disease, but sadly, without the right medication or education, it can be fatal. It is vital that the people of Ghana, and the countries that Malaria No More supports, get the advice and care that they need. And that's exactly why I'm doing this. It's not always easy, but thinking about Ghana, and the people I met there, always spurs me on during training."
And training for such a challenge is not a small task. Hannah said: "I've been doing night shifts, so when I clock off at 8.15am, I cycle to the swimming pool and fit in some training there. Then I go home, sleep for about six hours, get up and go for a run before going back to work in the evening. I train for about 20 hours a week.
"People from work have been very supportive of what I'm doing, but they do all wonder if I've gone mad! But my training's going to plan and I'm feeling hopeful that I'll finish it in 14 hours. In a strange way, I'm looking forward to it!
"I have done triathlons in the past, and a marathon, but this is by far the biggest challenge that I've taken on. I really hope that I can raise some vital funds for Malaria No More - and of course, that I can complete the Ironman in a good time!"
You can sponsor Hannah by visiting www.justgiving.com/hannah-IMUK. Every penny raised by Hannah will be donated to Malaria No More. Find out more about the charity here: www.malarianomore.org.
