Buckhaven man overcoming toughest obstacle for Marie Curie

Gordon Bonnar (29) decided to raise the cash for the charity following the care it provided for his granddad in the weeks before his death earlier this year.

Having already competed in a couple of Spartan races last year, he decided that challenging himself to do as many OCR’s, which often include mud pools, climbing walls, fire pits and even Gladiator-style warriors, as possible would be a great way to raise cash.

Starting back in March, Gordon kicked off his challenge with the Nuts race in Surrey.

“It went really well and I actually qualified for the UK, European and World Championships.

“I want all of the money donated to go straight to Marie Curie, so I’m funding all of the travel costs, etc, which means I missed the Euros and won’t get to the Worlds in Canada, but I’m hoping to do the UK championships.

“I think it was my toughest race though. It was March 3 and it was so cold. We went down the day before to volunteer and we saw people who were hypothermic and had to be taken away by ambulance.”

Gordon, a senior digital designer, has since completed six more races – even with an injury.

“On my sixth race, I actually cracked my ankle at about the 2K mark, but I limped the rest of the 11K to get it finished and ended up in A&E. Thankfully I got a bit of a rest after that, but during the most recent race, we took it quite slowly.”

Gordon has had the support of his friends and family throughout his challenge, with his wife and kids all getting in on the act.

“My wife has joined me for a few of the races, and even the kids, who are four and seven, did a mini OCR too.”

Gordon is hoping to reach his £5000 target by the time he finishes the challenge back at the Nuts race in March 2017.

“It’s for a great cause.

“If it wasn’t for them, my granddad wouldn’t have been able to be at home, and if my granma had had to do it alone, she would have ended up ill too.

“They were a huge help to her as well as my granddad, letting her have a rest for an hour or so.

“Twenty pounds can fund a Marie Curie nurse for one hour, and while that might not seem like a lot, that hour of care and support for a family at home or in a hospice can make an astronomical difference, even if it’s just for a wee bit of normal chat for a change.”

To follow Gordon’s journey and to donate to his cause, visit www.justgiving.com/fundraising/gordonbonnar. You can also text a donation to 70070 and typing MOCR50 and the amount you want to donate – £1. £2, £3, £5 or £10.