Brothers train for Ironman with a cause
Last week, the former Moriah College students set up a fundraising site for what will be their first ever half-Ironman race and confirmed that all proceeds will be donated in Debbie’s name and go directly to the lung research laboratory at WEHI.
Sydney brothers Dylan (29) and Ryan (24) Blumberg, who have both played football for Maccabi-Hakoah FC, are training for a completely different sport event – the Sunshine Coast Ironman 70.3 race on September 10.
And they’re hoping to raise $25,000 in sponsorship in the process, for a cause close to their hearts.
Their aunt, Debbie Grace – an adored wife, mother, grandmother, who shared a passion for sport and keeping active – was diagnosed in 2022 with stage 4 lung cancer.
Determined to live out her life doing what she loved best, she tragically died at the age of 65 in a freak skiing accident in Italy early this year.
“In the aftermath of that,” Ryan said, “Dylan and I thought a great way to honour Debbie would be to enter this half-Ironman event and set up a fundraising site for people to sponsor us, with all proceeds going to the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute (WEHI).
“It seemed fitting, as it is a medical research centre in Melbourne that Debbie supported.
“So we talked with Debbie’s family about it and then had a chat on Zoom with Associate Professor Kate Sutherland, who is head of WEHI’s lung cancer research laboratory.”
Last week, the former Moriah College students set up a fundraising site for what will be their first ever half-Ironman race and confirmed that all proceeds will be donated in Debbie’s name and go directly to the lung research laboratory at WEHI.
Their employer, Macquarie Bank, has generously committed to match every donation dollar for dollar.
Coming from a football background, Ryan – who played for the University of Maryland in America on a sport scholarship until early 2022 – acknowledges that tackling the 1.9km swim, 90km bike ride and 21.1km run – in warm to hot Sunshine Coast conditions, “will be something quite a bit different for both of us to do”.
“But it’s always good to try something new and challenge ourselves,” he said.
“We are new to cycling and swimming training, so the running leg is likely to be our strongest.”
They’ve both been training for it in the last couple of months, but Ryan has been able to put in more time to train for each leg than Dylan.
“So, we won’t be kind of competing against each other on race day, but there will be a bit of banter between us, no doubt.
“My aim will be to reach the finish line in under 5.5 hours.”
To sponsor the Blumberg brothers, visit https://macquarie.benevity.org/community/fundraiser/3185.
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