Friday 28 June 2019 9:20am
Cycling at the end of July may not be everybody's cup of tea but when you are raising money for the Heart Foundation and doing it indoors, anyone can join in – and you don't even have to wear lycra!
Event organiser Karl Iremonger, from the Department of Physiology, says the event is open to staff, students and the general public. All you have to do is to get together a team of up to four people and cycle as fast as you can on a stationary bike for 10 minutes.
“The idea is to get sponsors and challenge other teams so we can push each other to raise as much money as we can for the Heart Foundation,” he says.
“The Heart Foundation supports many of our researchers and research projects in the Department of Physiology. This is a great opportunity for us to give back to them, as well as promote some of the cutting edge heart research done at the University of Otago.”
Heart disease is the country's biggest killer. It claims the lives of more than 6,000 New Zealanders every year and there are 180,000 Kiwis currently living with heart disease. The death rate from heart disease has declined dramatically since the Heart Foundation was set up in 1968.
Every year the Foundation invests around NZ$1.5 million in leading-edge heart research and specialist training for cardiologists in New Zealand. Since 1970 total grants and fellowships have exceeded NZ$57 million.
The Heart Foundation also provides help for affected people and their families, as well as run education programmes to help Kiwis make healthier food and lifestyle choices. It also promotes a wide range of booklets and resources for health professionals and the wider public.
The Cycle Challenge is being held 12–2pm Wednesday 31 July 2019, at Union Hall.
Register for the Cycle Challenge
2019 Cycle Challenge registration form (PDF)
2019 Cycle Challenge poster (PDF)
To register or get more information:
Email karl.iremonger@otago.ac.nz
Sponsor a team
Sponsor a team in the 2019 Cycle Challenge (Everyday Hero website)