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Phil Races 370km for United Through Sport

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This year, Phil Hatzis ran, swam and cycled his way to 370km and nearly £1,200 for United Through Sport. The challenge involves completing a series of grueling sporting events starting with The London Marathon in April and culminating in the famous Ironman UK in September.

A first year engineer at Durham University, Phil has only recently taken up triathlons but was determined to rise to the challenge. “I have always enjoyed my sport; mainly rugby and tennis when I was younger through to cross-country running and triathlon now.”

The Ironman UK is a triathlon race and consists of a 2.4 mile open-water swim, 112 mile cycle and finishes with a marathon run of 26.2 miles. The time limit is 17 hours.

“Having been accepted in all these races through the ballots, I realised it was a great opportunity to raise a lot of money for charity. I chose to fundraise for United Through Sport as I have been to Africa and South America where I have seen children happily playing sport with whatever they could find. Sport has always been a large part of my life and I relish the opportunity to share my enjoyment of it through benefiting the lives of these children.”

Follow him on twitter here: twitter.com/philip_hatzis

Sheffield College Partnership Success

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First year students studying for their Foundation Degree in Sports, Coaching and Exercise had a real workout when their course tutor, David Harrison, suggested partnering with United Through Sport to raise money for charity as part of their Event Organisation module.

However the students rose to the challenge as usual and, working in groups of four, set about planning, organising and hosting a series of exciting fundraising events to benefit our charity. The events ranged from race nights to Christmas parties. The top fundraisers in the year group were Mike Staley and Samantha Fowler who raised a total of £266.64 between them. Adrian Abdulla, a lecturer at the College and an impressive 4th Degree Black Belt in Kickboxing, organised a massive Kickboxing Tournament at The Octagon Centre in Sheffield to further add to the students fundraising efforts.

In 2007, Sheffield College students and staff raised a staggering £819.14 towards United Through Sport! The official cheque was presented to Sam Eve of United Through Sport at Sheffield College on 23rd January. Thanks must go to all those who not only organised the events but also to those who supported them.

Following this great success, Sheffield College has agreed to continue the charity partnership into 2008 with the new first years hoping to beat the impressive fundraising target set by last years students. We wish them all the very best!

Age Versus Experience in Triathlon Challenge

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When United Through Sport fundraiser, Adrian Love, 20, went head to head against his brother-in-law Tom Collins, 29, at the Michelob Ultra London Triathlon on Saturday 4th August, he was out to prove that age overcomes experience every time. But was he right? Competing in the ‘Sprint’ event comprising of a 750m Swim, 21km Bike and 5.2km Run, Love’s hopes for glory appeared in jeopardy as Collins secured an early lead after an impressive swimming leg of only 12 minutes and 48 seconds. The bike also proved tricky with both brother-in-laws battling it out neck and neck ensuring Collin’s steady grip on the overall lead. And so it was all down to the run…

Determined to prove that age equals agility, Love moved up a gear beating his brother-in-law by 11 minutes and 32 seconds on the final leg. But was it enough? It was a close run victory. Love beat Collins with an overall time of 01:25:07 to 01:32:59.

The real winners however were United Through Sport who scored over £900 thanks to Adrian’s fantastic fundraising efforts. Let’s hope the challenge continues next year…

United Through Sport Golf Day Tees-Off

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On 4th October 2006, United Through Sport held their first Charity Golf Day at the Beaconsfield Golf Club.

The day was a great social and fundraising success, welcoming teams and participants from a number of big corporations including ITV, Vodafone, News International, The Telegraph, GCap and Carat. The day involved a hotly contested 4-ball Stableford competition, followed by buffet lunch, prize-giving and auction which showcased some outstanding prizes.

Thanks to the tireless work of the event organiser, Karen Platt, the event raised £6000 which has subsequently been sent to South Africa to build a community sports pitch in a township school.

United Through Sport would like to extend a big thanks to all the teams involved, as well as for the generous support offered by those who contributed to the day in terms of donations, prizes and moral support, not least of all GCap and The Golf Shack of Taplow. A special thanks also needs to be given to Dave King (The Telegraph) for his continuous bidding throughout the auction!

Thanks are also due to the members of Beaconsfield Golf Club, for offering their outstanding facilities for the event.

Half-Marathon Madness

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On 9th July 2006, Dan Woods and Sherden Timmins took on the challenge of the Wycombe half-marathon for United Through Sport.

The two runners posted differing times (the difference being around 30 minutes) but Sherden did wait patiently at the line for his less practised running partner! Together, they raised £750…

Many thanks to all those who sponsored the pair.