Second Annual One Hour Long Cycle Charity Event

For the second year in a row I picked up a 20kg kettlebell and proceeded to do clean and jerks for one hour straight.  Why would I do such madness?  It was for a great cause.

Jason Dolby, John “Wild” Buckley and Nazo of the Orange Kettlebell Club (OKC) are all rich in knowledge as they are rich in the human spirit.  They always relish the opportunity to use their passion and skill in order to give back to people who need it the most.

Last year, Jason Dolby started the inaugural event to celebrate his birthday.  In the process, he set two world records in kettlebell lifting and most importantly, raised money for Children’s Hospital in Los Angeles.  I participated in the event and had plenty of support from the Rise Above Performance Training members.  We were able to contribute $500 to the cause.  You can read more about last year’s event here.

This year’s One Hour Long Cycle Event was bigger than the last and was especially emotional because all of the money went to Japanese tsunami relief.  The OKC’s own Nazo was trapped in Japan for months after the tsunami and she wrote a very heartfelt blog post about the experience; read her post here.

With the tragedy hitting so close to home, the OKC crew had an easy decision to make by having this year’s One Hour Long Cycle Charity event help raise money for the Japanese relief efforts.

The experience is both unique as it is amazing.  This year there were 38 participants (18 more than last year) ranging from recreational kettlebell lifters (like myself) to record setting world champions.  Where else can you share space and lift in the same room with some of the sports elite superstars?  Rise Above Performance Training was able to contribute $700 for the cause which is truly amazing.  I am blessed with such great members.

It is one thing to simply train and another to give money to a cause, but when you combine the two the experience is multiplied to the highest degree.  I cannot wait until next year’s charity event and I truly hope all of you consider picking up a kettlebell and joining me.