This English Man Ran for 24 Hours in a Giant Hamster Wheel. How Did You Spend Your Weekend? It was all for a good cause.
By Nina Zipkin
We all want to give back, but 40-year-old Dean Ovel, a married father of two from Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex, in England just took it to the next level.
On Saturday and Sunday, Ovel ran for 24 hours in an 8-foot-tall hamster wheel of his own making in an effort to raise funds and awareness for Southend Hospital and its plan upgrade its facilities to better aid patients with dementia. Which begs the question, what did you do this weekend?
How did #Lego help build giant #hamster wheel for #dementia challenge? @LEGO_Group #DAW2016: https://t.co/hlvMfZhMTZ pic.twitter.com/qwqzUJ2PUE
— Southend Hospital (@SouthendNHS) May 18, 2016
Ovel wrote on his JustGiving page ahead of the event: "Believe me, I have no strong desire to run on what is essentially a self-powered treadmill, within a 2m high cage, in Southend High Street, over a busy weekend. But, the more I think about the reason why, the stronger my will to attempt it becomes." But his perseverance was rewarded, ultimately raising a little more than $4,000 for the hospital.
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He was inspired to undertake the challenge by seeing both of his grandmothers' deal with dementia. The design for the hamster wheel began life as a Lego model put together by his son. It even became a community effort, with local businesses offering prizes for the winner who correctly guessed how many miles he would run. Just goes to show how innovation can make a big difference.
Nearly 7 hours and 30 miles into a 24 hour challenge, our @human_hamster16 is still in good spirits! #happytalk pic.twitter.com/dWNFQl6wrf
— Dean Ovel (@human_hamster16) May 22, 2016
