TeamHatch 2020 the biggest year yet. I'm very proud to be part of this team, and to race alongside the most brilliant people. Here's the story of Team Hatch and why we do what we do. 

At least we thought it would be the biggest year yet..! The whole world has been in the grip of a pandemic, and it's hit many people and changed the way we know the world. This has impacted our fundraising too, and the fundraising of the hospital too. To make up for this, we are changing tactics, and will be completing epic challenges that are er.... socially distant! Challenge no. 1 is completing the distance of an ironman over a weekend, at the beginning of July (the time we should have been competing at Challenge Roth). This will be an event of not only epic stamina, but also epic logistics challenges. Stay tuned for updates on this challenge, and updates on more challenges to come!

Darling Emma Rose led a wonderful life as a beautiful daughter, sister and friend for over 15 very happy years. Her health unexpectedly deteriorated in early 2014 - everyone suspected some form of lung disorder. Eventually this diagnosis was revised and she was sent for a medical review at GOSH where she suffered sudden and unexpected heart failure. She actually had a dreadful and extremely rare disease called Churg Strauss Syndrome, (a form of vasculitis) which unbeknown to anyone, had badly damaged her heart and other organs. For the next 102 days the wonderful surgeons, doctors and nurses at GOSH across over 30 departments, closely supported by Emma's family and friends, did absolutely everything in their collective power to save, stabilise and give Emma the chance of returning to a normal life. Emma's journey was always at the extremes of medicine and when her own heart could not be saved she was lucky enough to be given a transplant. Emma faced it all with courage and bravery but very sadly lost her battle on 30th May, 2014. The compassion, skill, love and friendship extended to Emma and her family by the staff of GOSH was humbling and the work they do is simply amazing.

Following Emmas untimely death, the Hatchley family set up The Rosebud Appeal as a way of supporting Great Ormond Street Childrens Hospital in the areas closest to the treatment Emma received. This appeal raised over £250,000 through a series of runs, events, bridge teas, bike rides, donations and other fundraising initiatives, including Emmas father James (or Hatch), some work colleagues and other friends and relations doing the London Triathlon. That money funded a research project in the area of heart transplantation, vital cardiac home-monitoring equipment for children with cardiac conditions and the appointment of a PHD student to promote research into the genetics of types of vasculitis including Churg Strauss Syndrome which Emma was so unlucky to have. The impact of this fundraising was real and in particular there was material progress made in areas of research which directly benefited children with forms of vasculitis.

One of these fundraising themes developed a life of its own and TeamHatch a full on Triathlon squad was born as a group of likeminded souls led of course by Hatch! The Triathlon team has continued to grow and the Triathlon challenges have grown longer. Even the half Ironman distance twelve of the team completed in Lisbon in early 2018 wasnt enough and so a team of eight faced up to Challenge Roth, a full Ironman distance race later in that year in Germany. A full Ironman is a 3.8km swim, a 180km bike and a 42.2km marathon run all one after another on the same day, as fast as you can!

The team has grown from a group of those who knew Emma and are close to the Hatchley family, to include others who have been drawn both to the appeal of a longer distance Triathlon challenge and to doing something for Great Ormond Street Childrens Hospital, with Emma to inspire them. Some were definitely not athletes when they started (particularly Hatch!) whist others were. It remains a mixed group but some of the athletes and performances are now earning podiums and GB Age Group Accreditation.

As we enter 2020, the Triathlon fundraising has already added over £350K to the Great Ormond Street Childrens Hospital funding need. Part of this additional fundraising has been used to provide an oral drug room on Pelican Ward in the Premier Inn Clinical Building, one of the hospitals new buildings. Pelican Ward is a specialist centre for rheumatology, dermatology, infectious diseases and immunology and so having a specialist area in which to prepare and dispense drugs is key. Further funds have been allocated to the Charitys highest impact projects of 2018. These include the implementation of the electronic patient record system, necessary child and family support initiatives and advancing some of the pioneering research the hospital is famous for. In particular, funds raised by the teams efforts and additional donations from friends and family have enabled research into the genetics of forms of vasculitis to continue. The world leading team at GOSH have seen tangible results so that children with forms of vasculitis have been identified earlier and treated with more specific and innovative treatments. This is what inspires us to continue to fundraise, knowing we are making a real difference to children who have potentially life threating conditions.

The Hatchley family saw this first hand during their time at GOSH with Emma as they were all able to stay in Charity funded accommodation on the hospital site, making it much easier to come and go from her bedside. Emma was treated in a Charity built ward and many of the machines critical to her treatment were funded by charitable donations. In addition, many of the key support systems for those facing life changing situations are now only available if funded outside the NHS this is where the Charity steps in and makes a major impact.

These needs dont ever stop as there are always children who need GOSH and deserve the best they can get. The combined efforts of the Hatchleys, their friends and family and all the members of Team Hatch have already raised over £650k which is truly amazing. Now 2020 is upon us and the team is as keen as ever and set for a monster Triathlon year.

Not content with bringing eight first time Ironmen and Ironwomen into the world in 2018, we now have a team of over twenty athletes signed up for Triathlon challenges in Emmas name all over the World in 2020 including a great many full Ironman distance. None of these challenges is to be underestimated and many of the team are doing multiple races, putting in over 350 hours (or more) of training a year to be fit enough to compete! We even have some first time couch to Ironman 70.3 athletes in 2020! The key races with larger teams in 2020 include:

Ironman Dubai 70.3 (February) (complete ✔️)

Ironman Majorca 70.3 (May)  (cancelled...!)

Ironman Lanzarote (May) (cancelled...!)

Challenge Roth (July) (cancelled...!)

Ironman Kalmar (August) (cancelled...!)

There are many half marathons, marathons and cycle sportives on the way too. Each team athlete is self-funded for race expenses and has an individual funding target to hit for Great Ormond Street Childrens Hospital as the price for donning the hallowed Team Hatch racing strip. The team continues to be generously supported by Trek in the UK for bikes, Huub for wetsuits, trisuits and other race and cycle clothing, Athlete Lab in London as a cycle training hub and Challenge Tri-Camps and Sancture-Sportifs as triathlon camp venues in Europe. All of our best images are taken by the talented @thatcameraman.

The additional funds raised in 2020 will go in part to continue pushing research boundaries by supporting Professor Paul Brogan and his team, investigating the diagnosis and treatment of serious auto inflammatory conditions such as forms of vasculitis. This area still accounts for 100 new referrals and 300 patients under follow-up care each year in GOSHs rheumatology department and as the Hatchley family sadly knows, there can be devastating results if these conditions are not diagnosed early and treated effectively. Additional funds will go towards continuing the work of the hospital in the areas of patient and family support and also advanced medical equipment not funded by the NHS but critical to world class patient outcomes. The hospital is working towards opening a world leading Cancer Centre and improving the stock of family accommodation so parents can be by their childs bedside at critical points in their journey at GOSH. All of this needs funding which drives the Charity and individuals like the members of Team Hatch.

It sounds ambitious but we are not going to stop until we raise £1million! We are hoping the 2020 race schedule might do this but if not we will just keep going. Those children who are seriously ill need us and we do it all in the memory of our beautiful Emma Rose. We have to think she would be very proud.

Thank you to all of the past and future supporters, friends and family. We couldnt do any of this without you.