Many of us turned to home comforts during lockdown, but not only has Dominic Longhurst tackled unhealthy habits, he's full throttle into training for three mega challenges.
The 51-year-old business owner from Bury St Edmunds said during the first Covid lockdown he started smoking again, was drinking heavily, got out of shape and gained weight; he was 17.5 stone at the time.
Then lockdown two came and his friend Ross told him 'you need to do something about this' and suggested he tackle the Marathon Des Sables, known as the toughest foot race on earth.
Mr Longhurst researched the event, which is a six-day 250km ultra-marathon in the Sahara Desert, and told him: "'There's no way I can do that, I cannot run. I cannot even run 1km'. He said 'you have got a year and a half - get training'."
The father-of-one, who prefers swimming, decided to add a 30-plus km cross-Channel swim from England to France into the mix, and will round it all off with a 550km cycle ride over four days from Amsterdam to Disneyland Paris.
Mr Longhurst, who is funding costs himself, is hoping to raise £10,000 from all three events for the Fulfil the Wish charity, which he heard about through family friends who are patrons.
The bike ride, in August 2023, will finish at the Newport Bay Hotel at Disneyland Paris at the same time as a coachload of families arrive for the annual Fulfil the Wish trip.
Mr Longhurst, who lost 2.5 stone in a year, has been using the training facilities at Bannatyne Health Club Bury St Edmunds to help prepare for the gruelling challenges, the first of which starts next month.
While he has done triathlons before, he said this would be "by far" the biggest thing he's done, adding "it will be unknown territory for me".
He said: "Fulfil the Wish is a brilliant charity, which provides fantastic support for young people living with a disability and their families.
“I also like pushing myself both physically and mentally so taking part in these incredibly difficult challenges will combine the goals of raising money for a good cause and putting myself to the test.
“Staff at Bannatyne Bury St Edmunds are supporting me every step of the way as I prepare for this triathlon. Thanks to their expertise I am following a training programme that will ensure I am at peak fitness to take on this challenge.”
Mr Longhurst, of Revive Floor Sanding, goes to the gym five or six times a week, uses the pool and tries to run every day outdoors.
Daryl Johnson, general manager at the Bannatyne Health Club Bury St Edmunds, said: "Dominic is to be commended for stretching himself both physically and mentally in aid of such a worthy cause."
Mr Longhurst is only weeks away from the Marathon Des Sables, which he will tackle with his friend Ross. It starts on March 25.
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