Nursing professor Abe Oudshoorn is planning to swim, cycle and run one triathlon each day for a month to raise money for Atlohsa’s homelessness relief efforts.
Having swum, cycled and run 20 triathlons so far in his lifetime, Nursing professor Abe Oudshoorn has set his sights on 30 more – in one month.
“It seemed like a good idea four months ago when I proposed it,” he joked.
His effort is a fundraiser for Atlohsa Family Healing Services, a London-based Indigenous agency that offers housing support, homelessness prevention and justice services. The fitness buff and longtime advocate for the homeless people has started a GoFundMe campaign, called 30 in 30, to support the cause.
Oudshoorn is particularly keen on helping the centre’s ‘resting spaces,’ where some of London’s most vulnerable and difficult-to-serve populations find a safe and welcoming place to stay temporarily.
For the past six years, Oudshoorn has completed three or four triathlons each year, from the mini try-a-tri for novices to Olympic-distance competitions. A ‘sprint’ triathlon (mid-way between those two distances) entails a 750-metre swim, followed by a 20-kilometre bike ride, followed by a 5-kilometre run.
Starting Feb. 3, Oudshoorn plans to do one sprint triathlon every day until March 3 at London’s Downtown Y. “I thought, ‘Why not do more in a month than I’ve done in a lifetime?’”
He won’t be alone for the whole journey. Some of his longtime running pals will join him at various times to keep him motivated; a physiotherapist has agreed to keep tabs to prevent injury.
While the regimen sounds exhausting, Oudshoorn believes he’ll be able to fit it in with all his other activities this semester. “I’m a morning person. I figure if I start at 6 a.m. I could be out of the gym and be back home by 8 to get the kids to school in time and then get on with my day.”
His goal is to raise $10,000.
