Army captain completes gruelling March challenge for children's ward
Captain Bruce Shand has completed 15,000 burpees, 26 miles on Ski-Erg and 52 miles on a bike - Credit: Brittany Woodman
An army captain has completed three difficult challenges over the last month, all to raise money for the children's ward at Ipswich Hospital.
Captain Bruce Shand, 41, from Wattisham, set himself a challenge of completing 15,000 burpees, covering 26 miles on a Ski-Erg and cycling 56 miles throughout March.
Captain Shand has been serving in the army for over 22 years, and the majority of the time, has been based at Wattisham Airfield.
Captain Shand wants to raise £31,000 to help get Ipswich hospital to the £2.5 million they require to rebuild the children's ward. - Credit: Brittany Woodman
He says that he wanted to give back to Suffolk, so decided to try and raise £31,000 for Ipswich Hospital to get them to the £2.5m required to rebuild the children's ward.
Captain Shand said: "I just think that some of the journeys these children go through are just courageous and really unfair that they get these illnesses and then there are their parents as well and obviously the NHS staff.
"I thought what an amazing cause to raise money for and make that facility better for them having to go through this torturous treatment and that was it."
Mr Shand chose to do burpees, widely considered a "killer exercise", along with doing something on the Ski-Erg (a cross-country skiing machine) and a bike at the gym.
Captain Shand using the Ski-Erg machine, which he completed 26 miles on. - Credit: Brittany Woodman
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He said: "I worked out I had to do 500 burpees a day, a mile on the Ski-Erg and then two miles on the bike.
"The first three days, I was in the most pain I think I have ever been in, I doubted myself, I couldn't get out of bed some days.
"It became a mental battle, knowing I had to do 500 burpees every day, and that meant I wasn't able to do the bike or ski because I was just too fatigued.
"I always knew that no matter what my pain was, a few days of my pain was going to go away, so my focus was firmly on the fact that there were children on the ward that are going through really bad sickness and having treatment for cancer, who are in real pain and so that was the inspiration, that’s what kept me going."
Captain Shand has raised £3,354 for Ipswich Hospital so far. To donate or see more of his journey, click here.
