WE’LL MOVE YOU!
INSPIRATION
ATTHE
SUMMIT
SIMON BENNETT HAS BEEN an elite
swimmer, a record-breaking cyclist,
and a professional fitness coach. But
nothing he had done prepared him
for the challenge he took on when he
set out to climb Africa’s highest
mountain for charity.
In 2010, Bennett,
28, flew to Nairobi,
Kenya, to help
publicize Global Bike,
a nonprofit that
provides bicycles to health care
workers in developing countries. The
bikes help the workers carry more
supplies and serve more patients.
With a team of other riders,
Bennett made the 250-mile trip from
Nairobi to the base of Mount
Kilimanjaro by bike. Then he trekked
up the mountain, an intense six-day
climb. Bennett, as usual, managed his
blood glucose levels the whole way.
Bennett’s athletic journey started
halfway across the world. Born in
Australia, Bennett was a sporty child
who excelled at swimming. At age 13,
he was diagnosed with type 1
diabetes. Support from his family
helped keep diabetes from slowing
him down. “I couldn’t join the police
force, or the fire brigade, or the
army,” he says, “but apart from
that there were no limiting factors.”
Diabetes educators told
Bennett that sports would make
managing diabetes easier. As a
youth, he was a competitive
swimmer (with sports drink handy
to treat any lows). At 18, he began
his adult career as a fitness coach.
SIMON SAYS:
YOU, TOO, CAN REACH
THE TOP
BY ANDREW CURRY
Kilimanjaro
National Park
Northern
Tanzania
