Martin Harman
A very special ‘Thank you’ to Martin and to all who supported the AFA Sportive Cycle Ride
Organised by AFA member Martin Harman who was himself diagnosed with AF in 2006, an amazing 96 participants joined the start line on Sunday morning.
Cycling sixty miles through stunning North Yorkshire scenery surrounding Castle Howard, the Howardian Hills and the famous Rosedale Chimney, the first AFA Sportive Cycle Ride raised a staggering £2,400!
AFA would like to say a HUGE thank you to Martin for his enthusiasm and hard work which have resulted in making the event such a resounding success.
AFA and Martin would also like to thank everyone who supported him – from the cyclists, route planners, marshals and caterers (all of whom volunteered!) to fellow AFA members who have so generously donated.
To pledge your support for Martin’s fundraising challenge and help him reach his £10,000 goal, please click to donate. Alternatively, you can send donations made payable to AFA and marked ‘Martin’s AFA Challenge’ directly to AFA.
Please, help Martin raise awareness of AF and support AFA.
Martin will be taking up his next challenge in four weeks time, flying the AFA flag as he competes in at European Triathlon Championships in Israel.
Good luck and thank you Martin!
AF patient qualifies to represent Great Britain in the European Triathlon Championships
Martin Harman, a 38 year old Atrial Fibrillation sufferer has qualified to represent Great Britain in the European Championships in Eilat, Israel on 19th April 2012.
Harman, from York was diagnosed following an operation in 2006 which was believed to have caused the first episode of the illness.
Since diagnosis Martin has learnt how to manage his condition and after a period of time was able to return back to work and slowly start exercising again. This led to Martin entering a triathlon to raise money for AFA.
Martin said, "The reason why I participate in Triathlons is that whilst I thoroughly enjoy the challenge of the sport, it is also my way of proving to myself that Atrial Fibrillation may well live with me, but it will not live ‘for me’”.
Martin is now looking for sponsorship to help cover travel costs to get him to the Championships as well as raise vital money for the Atrial Fibrillation Association.
If you would like to support Martin, he has set up a Just Giving page
http://www.justgiving.com/mharman
Martin has set-up a blog detailing how his training is going
http://triwithrhythm.blogspot.com/
Read Martin's story here
Listen to radio interview.
Can you predict in what time Martin will cross the finishing line?
The accessory you can't be seen without!
In the build up to the Sportive Ride in March and his bid to compete in the European Triathlon Championships in April, details for which are below, Martin has taken it upon himself to have wristbands designed in support of AFA. These bright and fun wristbands feature details of the AFA website and our Know Your Pulse campaign. They are a fantastic accessory to show off to family and friends all whilst carrying the message of AFA and supporting Martin's charity triathlon. There is limited stock available and they are going fast so don't miss out!
At £2.50 per wristband, order yours now!
Is there no end to his efforts?
Martin has also started off the Know Your Pulse campaign early this year ahead of Heart Rhythm Week in May 2012. At his workplace Martin set up a stand and took the pulses of his colleagues and the general public. This event was all in the effort to promote much needed awareness of the pulse as the easiest and most effective way of detecting a heart rhythm disorder.
AquaPoint staff get Father Christmas to support AFA
Martin's staff have very kindly supported his efforts to fundraise for AFA by doing lots of different things over the next few months around the workplace.
The first one they have done is to not send Christmas cards to each individual, but instead send two cards to all people in the company and these will be displayed on a notice board in the office. The money they would then normally spend on Christmas cards is donated to the charity.
To kick this off they have dressed up one of the Watercoolers as Father Christmas, complete with an AFA T-Shirt and all monies will be deposited into the bottle!
Thank you AquaPoint!
Know Your Pulse
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