TEAM HELLY HANSEN UK (HELP FOR HEROES)
The regular team were running short of time off work and decided to expand the squad a little and enter a novice team to the Turas. The original Team Helly Hansen UK were first British team at the World champs last year and are preparing this year for Gerard Fusil’s 1100km Raid Caneo Nature in France in August.
Nic is taking some forces friends on a new adventure! None of Willow, Ian or Toby has raced a multi-day adventure race before and endurance training has mainly been pacing the corridors of hospital at work or sitting at helicopter controls. Their aim is two-fold: to enjoy a great expedition amongst friends and to raise a bit of cash for Help for Heroes a forces charity for injured service-people: inspiring people who we work with day to day. http://www.justgiving.com/teamhellyhansenuk
We are very much looking forward to finishing hospital shifts and preparations for deployments and jumping on the ferry to explore from Dingle and enjoy some festivals and plenty of famous Irish hospitality!
Name: Nicola MacLeod
Age: 29
Occupation: Army Doctor
Nic races with team Helly Hansen UK all year round between work. She’s into the MTB, mountain, triathlon and kayaking side of things. In 2008 she won the 6 day Costa Rica Coastal Challenge run and is off to France later in the year with Mark, Ski and Howard for the Raid Caneo epic. She was also third in the P6 handwriting competition at Eastfield Primary School. Nic’s been racing for 10 years all over the world and is looking forward to a more relaxing adventure in Ireland!
Name: Toby Williams
Age: 25
Occupation: Army Doctor
Strength: buying expensive kit
Weakness: buying expensive kit
Best AR moment: yet to come I hope
Worst AR moment: also to come I fear
Talent spotted at his debut AR Toby is somewhat a novice but brings strength in breadth. The last couple of years have involved riding the route of the TdF and LEJOG, unsupported kite-skiing expeditions to Norway, Iceland, and Greenland, WW paddling in New Zealand, the OMM and various other bits to keep him busy and the adrenaline flowing.
Name: Ian Evans
Occupation: Army Doctor
From a Scottish mountaineering background Ian brings grit, determination and an innate understanding of the mountains (“they are big and hurt lots”). Gold medallist in Army biathlon. Ian is a keen mountain biker, has WW experience on four continents and climbed on five. Relatively new to AR he is relishing the prospect of the new challenge of expedition length races.
Name: Mark ‘Willow’ Wielopolski
Occupation: Helicopter pilot
Willow started life in sprint kayaking in South Africa and over the past few years has moved into a bit more long distance stuff. He’s just finished the Cape Epic on a mountain bike and a few years back managed to make the Devizes to Westminster last longer than almost anyone else EVER by doing it with a novice marine in an open Canadian! He hasn’t done a multi-day race before this and is off to Afghanistan a few days after finishing so his boss plans to castrate him if he comes back injured…..