The Starr Trust, which is now in its 15th year, raises funds to help young people be the best that they can be and to help remove any roadblocks that they face in life. 100% of all funds raised will be given out to young people, because the charity has all its running costs covered by Rob’s company, SEICO Group and therefore uses no sponsorship money for running costs.
For 2022, Rob has committed to completing an Olympic Triathlon: that is 52 triathlons in 52 weeks!
Rob is aiming to raise £100k through this extreme challenge to support as many young people as possible. The Olympic Triathlon is a continuous event that is a 1500metre swim, followed by a 40 kilometre bike ride, then a 10 kilometre run. Each one takes Rob between 3-4 hours to complete, which means he will be spending around 200 hours to complete the event and he will swim 78 kilometres, will cycle 2080 kilometres and will run 520 kilometres.
Rob Starr of the Starr Trust said: “I am equally excited and nervous to take on such a big challenge, but the Young People our charity support need our help and as founder of the charity I feel it’s down to me to lead from the front. My biggest challenge will be keeping injury free and mentally strong enough to do this week after week for a full year, which is not always easy with my illness to contend with and life being as unpredictable as it currently is. But with the support I have around me, I have no doubt I will complete this and raise enough money to Remove as many Roadblocks as we can for young people. 2022 is shaping up to be a rather exhausting year!”
Rob has completed a number of extreme challenges for the charity over the years, from Swimming the English Channel to Cycling up Le Mont Ventoux, to completing a full Ironman. But this challenge may prove to be the toughest yet, as it lasts a whole year.
Rob’s challenge is made tougher as he is 52 years old, has Crohn’s disease, Arthritis and Osteoporosis. However, he is always determined to do his very best and will not stop until the challenge is completed. Rob is being supported on his challenge by Gold Olympian Robin Cousins and Double Gold Olympian Daley Thompson, both supporters of the Starr Trust.