Later this month, Jack Fleckney will be attempting to break the 24-Hour Chin Up world record – an attempt that will mean 5,500 chin ups or, put another way, four reps every minute for 24 hours. And he needs your help!
Fortunately, for most of us, that help doesn’t involve fitness levels we can only dream of – but instead, Jack is hoping local business will take the opportunity to get behind a challenge that will give disadvantaged young people the chance to make a difference to their lives.
The event, which begins on June 12 at Franklins Gardens, home of Northampton Saints, will be in aid of the Northampton Saints Foundation, a charity that supports children through education and, eventually, into the workplace. It helps children that have been referred by schools, social services and the police in an effort to help them turn their lives around.
After leaving school at 15 to play professional rugby, Jack passed selection to the Royal Marines at 18 and served for five years. Leaving the Marines, Jack used the money he’d saved to start his own gym business in Wellingborough, opening in four locations in the next five years and building a franchise scheme with 20 members of staff.
The money from selling his gym business gave Jack the opportunity to focus on charitable causes and he founded the Jack Fleckney Foundation. The foundation, which has the motto Seek – Strive – Conquer, is run by a board of trustees, allowing Jack to devote his time to the challenge of pushing himself to the limit, in high risk, physically demanding environments, in order to help children less fortunate than himself.
Previous challenges include:
Setting a new 24-Hour Ski Erg world record by completing 283,313m on the tortuous piece of gym equipment – after just six weeks’ training
A 2,000 burpee challenge
Leading a team of 35 people to complete the 3 Peaks Challenge
Annual participation in Cycle 4 Cynthia
88,000m on the Ski Erg on Christmas Eve 2018
Having raised over £57,000 through those challenges, Jack is hoping that his Chin Up World Record attempt will surpass that – with a fundraising goal of £100,000 – and when he’s done, he will begin training for the Marathon Des Sables, 251km over the sand dunes of the Sahara later this year, and a 1,000-mile South Pole Expedition in 2022.
“There are two sides to what I do – I want to constantly push myself and challenge myself and inspire others,” said Jack. “But if you don’t have something that drives you on to do that, it’s hard. I’m not motivated by money or anything like that, but doing it to change someone’s life, someone who hasn’t been as lucky as you or had the chances you had, that’s what drives me.
“The Chin Up challenge is going to be a tough one for me because it’s not the sort of exercise I enjoy. I’ve done a lot of cardio stuff before, and I am happy and comfortable doing that, but this will be different, it’s going to be tough. I’ll be doing about 55 minutes an hour, then a quick break to take on some food before I’m straight back to it. The problem is, if you stop for too long, it’s harder to get back into it than if you just keep going, so I certainly won’t be able to take any time to rest.”
Jack is hoping businesses as well as individuals will support him with sponsorship. Donations direct to a challenge, like the Chin Up World Record, is one route, but businesses who get involved on a consistent basis can take advantage of a range of opportunities as Jack promotes himself and his story.
As well as the likes of social media and marketing campaigns, Jack offers personal appearances, talks, presentations and leadership lessons – sharing his story and motivation with others and passing on the knowledge he’s gained. Regular sponsors will feature on the Jack Fleckney Foundation website and have their logos on documentation and marketing materials linked to upcoming challenges.
“Setting up the charity was to give me the motivation to keep pushing myself and help others, but the other thing that means a lot to me is that I know where all the money goes,” added Jack. “I don’t want to raise money for a massive organisation and not really know what my money helped do. This way, I can actually show people what a difference the challenge made – in this case building new classrooms that give young people the chance to do something with their lives. I can see what I’ve done and feel very proud of that.”
Find out more about the Jack Fleckney Foundation on
07554 664962 or email fleckneyjack@gmail.com
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To donate to the Chin Up Challenge, click here.
