A Cambridge gym is gearing up for a gruelling 24-hour workout to raise $10,000 for bone cancer research, driven by a deeply personal connection to the disease.
Hype Gym will host the non-stop fitness event on July 11 and 12, with teams of eight rotating through six four-hour workout blocks to keep the action going around the clock.
Skye Carey, a staff member at the gym who’s organising the event alongside wife Connie, said the cause hits close to home.
Carey’s mother has been battling bone cancer for four years and is now terminal with only a short time left.
“Everyone sort of has their own story, but this one’s really close to home,” Carey said.
Each four-hour block is being sponsored by a different local business.
Teams can choose who participates in each block, but at least one or two members must be working out at all times to keep the chain going.
The first block at 10am and the final block at 6am require full team participation.
“As long as you’ve got one person moving, it doesn’t matter how often you change in and out,” Carey said.
Up to 200 athletes will be working out at once during the event.
Alongside the workouts, there’ll be a silent auction running throughout the day, along with spot challenges and prizes for people who want to get involved without committing to a long session.
Carey said the response in just over a week of organising had been overwhelming, with sponsors, participants and community members coming forward with support and their own personal stories.
“By the looks of different sponsors and stuff coming forward, I think we’re going to surpass that very quickly,” she said of the $10,000 target.
Gym owner Ed Roberts is also personally connected to the cause, with someone close to him facing a similar battle.
“I guess everyone’s got someone, don’t they? Everyone knows someone,” Carey said.
The organisers have also reached out to the Tassie Devils to put together a team.
Hype Gym has been operating in its current Cambridge location for four years and expanded to a 24/7 facility with recovery services over the past two years.
