100k rowing challenge for Bognor man who has lost nearly 12st since last year

Pierre Towers, a senior IT technician, has battled obesity for many years, and at his heaviest he weighed nearly 34st.

Last June the 50-year-old was diagnosed with hypopituitarism, a condition which means the pituitary gland does not make enough of certain hormones and had been a major contributor to his massive weight gain.

Pierre started receiving treatment, in the form of testosterone injections every three months, which resulted in him losing just over 6st in six months.

He then had bariatric surgery in January which has seen him lose another 5st so far this year.

Pierre said: “I accepted this challenge partially to prove to myself that I could do it, to improve my fitness and tone up after my weight loss, but also, since the challenge is called the Dog Days of Summer, to raise much needed funds for Clymping Dog Sanctuary which, alongside many other charities has seen its ability of raise much needed funds, severely affected by Covid-19.”

As Pierre’s weight dropped and his health improved, he also found a renewed desire for fitness, which is when a rowing challenge set by fitness machine manufacturer Concept2, called Dog Days of Summer, caught his eye.

The challenge calls for competitors to row 100k during August – 10k in the first week, 20k in the second, 30k in the third, and 40k in the final week.

Pierre completed his 10k for the first week with a day to spare last Thursday – and even rowed another 2k just for good measure – and is well on his way to completing 20k this week.

Pierre lives in Ryefield Road, North Bersted, with his wife of 19 years, Sarah, their Jack Russell crosses Harry and Malibu, and two parrots – Chuckles, an African grey, and Charlie, a black-headed caique.

To donate to Pierre’s Dog Days of Summer challenge fundraiser for Clymping Dog Sanctuary visit www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/pierre-towers-clympingdogs

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