Gordon takes on gruelling challenge

IN a bid to prove his dedication as a supporter to the Hillcrest AIDS Centre Trust (HACT), Westville resident, Gordon Beeming, will swim 100km in a December fund-raiser.

He is a member of the Chiltern Athletic Club and recently signed up to run the Comrades Marathon for the Hillcrest-based non-profit organisation.

He hopes to raise R25 000 for the organisation and to do this he chose to swim at least 3.7km per day at his local gym pool. Through the gruelling swim challenge, he hopes to raise the final amount.

“I am doing this solely for charity. I didn’t just want to just ask for money, but wanted to do the challenge to earn the donations and prove that in the month where most people are winding down for Christmas, I would work even harder than ever,” said a dedicated Gordon.

The 28-year-old said he was on the top of his game in high school, and even played KZN rugby.

It was when he broke his collar-bone that his fitness regime took a slide and slowly became non-existent.

“I used to play sports every afternoon but after the incident I stopped. I continued to eat the way I normally would when I was active. I tried to get back into it but I became so career focused and, working in IT, I was working late nights that were filled with cheeseburgers and fizzy drinks,” he said.

He began to pile on the weight and, in January 2014, weighed in at 175kg. He wanted to lose weight for his wedding so changed his eating habits and trained up to four times a week. After a few months of hard work and dedication, he lost 20kgs.

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After the wedding, Gordon picked up his bad habits and once again packed on the pounds. It was in mid August in 2016 that he was introduced to a new diet. This time he decided to stick to it. “I was really battling as my son was quite active and I just couldn’t keep up with him,” he said.

His son Bradley, now seven years old, is also his training partner on the shorter runs. He also has a four-year-old daughter, Kezren.

He has dropped the weight down to 130kgs and has continued to maintain it.

This will be his first Comrades Marathon.

His reason for choosing HACT as his beneficiary is a simple one.

“Knowing the staff and the people at HACT, it becomes a lot more tangible. It has mad it a little bit more real for me. It’s not just a tick box on a website, it’s real for me now. Seeing what the other supporters have done, it has also given me the motivation to try.”

Per week he clocks up an average of 25km swim time but hits the tar for four runs per week, running an average of 60km, and recently picked up spinning three times a week.

“It is a target that I can definitely achieve, but it is big enough that it means something and by me doing this, I hope it inspires others to help and support the work HACT does,” he said.

To make a donation, visit https://go.beeming.net/Run4Hope_2019