For what I would call a successful fundraiser, it would have to generate donations of a significantly higher amount than the total cost of participating. Anything else would look like I’m just trying to hide my bad conscience about spending huge amounts of money behind a half-hearted scheme. My total expenses would easily amount to $3.000-4.000 ($1k entry fee, flights, car rental, accommodation, etc.). That means the fundraiser would have to create at least $10-15.000 in donations to MSF.

I compared this to the amounts that similar plans have been raised, and have come to the conclusion that it is extremely hard, if not impossible, to reach this goal within the relatively short time span that remains.

The bottom line is that I will not travel to the Ultraman Worlds, and instead donate at least some of the money I would have spent for this trip to MSF. I will also try to motivate my peers to donate as well. And for the endurance challenge that is Ultraman, I don’t need to fly to Hawaii to attempt such a thing. Surely a similar challenge could be staged across in Austria…

So, ten years later I am preparing for my tenth Ironman.. and honestly, it’s becoming a bit boring. I have already made up my mind to look for new challenges in the future, but the number 10 has a certain appeal, and a tenth Ironman race would somehow look nice (how irrational that may sound).

However, it should not be just another Ironman, but a significant challenge. And, to make it even more special, a challenge that inspires other people to do something good. Maybe I can use the attention that the participation in such an event offers to draw even more attention to people who really deserve it, because they are performing wonderful humanitarian help, just because they feel it is the right thing to do.

The Plan
So, here is the deal: I will hopefully fly to Hawaii in November and participate in the Ultraman World Championships. That’s not a normal triathlon, but a formidable challenge that expands over three days. On the first day, the event begins with a 10km swim and a 145km bike ride. The second day will be spent covering 276km on the bike, and on the final day 84km need to be run – a double marathon.

Hopefully, because participation is by invitation only, and it is totally open if I will be accepted. Registration isn’t even open yet, but the preparations for such a challenge cannot begin early enough.

This event is especially suitable for my plans, because it isn’t only about personal performance, but also about aloha (love), ohana (family) and kokua (help). Therefore, I will try to use my participation to support an organization that helps people who are in incredible plight, and provides medical help regardless of who and where they are: Médecins Sans Frontières – Doctors Withour Borders.

More details will follow soon.