Black belt challenge - 5km on the hour every hour for 7 hours.

When Dylan and Rafi started doing karate together in Year 2, no-one would have guessed that these two chubby, rather fragile boys would turn into tall, ‘buff’ young men who enjoy nothing more than trying to kick and punch each other until one ends up with the others blood on their Gi.

Almost 10 years on and they are going for their black belts together. Part of this involves completing an endurance challenge that pushes them mentally and physically.

They have therefore decided to take on the challenge of completing a 5km ‘race’ that will see them starting a 5km run on the hour every hour for 7 hours (so 35km in total).

And in typical lazy teenager fashion, they have given themselves just two months to train for it.

The boys have chosen to complete this challenge on behalf of two fantastic causes which are very close to their hearts (and Rafi’s knee).

Hatzola Herts emergency ambulance service came to Rafis rescue just over two years ago and helped him get to hospital faster and with a lot more pain killers in him than he may have had otherwise! Time is critical in an emergency and fortunately they arrived at our house within minutes of being called, when the NHS ambulance service said it was a 3hr wait.

Beyond Autism’s vision is to ensure autistic children and young adults access an education which empowers a life full of choice, independence and opportunity. They do this by creating positive educational experiences, training for the professional team around a child, and information, resources and support for families and carers.