ArmeniaNow.com
Spin Doctors: Marriott fitness team rolls out another
charity ride
By Suren Musayelyan
ArmeniaNow reporter
An international fitness consultant has kept his
promise of a year ago, to turn a charitable spinning
marathon into an annual event.
Last year’s spinfest prompted the 2006 repeat.
This Saturday, September 16, will see the second
annual `National Charity Schwinn Cycling Marathon in
Armenia’ with hopes that it will raise even more than
it did last year for a charitable project.
Last October’s similar spinning marathon drew about 50
cyclists representing a number of organizations and
hundreds of onlookers and guests who also had a chance
to contribute to charity while 11 (one-wheeled)
bicycles were in motion for six hours. As a result,
Armenia’s first spinfest raised $3,200 for the Nerses
Mets Special Boarding School.
Co-organizer of the event, Marriott Hotel Fitness
Consultant Andrzej Hentszel, from Poland, says: `I
feel very happy that I can organize it again. We hope
to raise even more money for charity this year,
especially that now we have sponsors who support our
preparations.’
All money raised during this year’s marathon will be
spent to support Yerevan Special School N 15 for Deaf
Children and Children with Hearing Disabilities.
Charity cyclists who have reserved bicycles already
began training at Marriott Hotel on weekday nights in
preparation for the Saturday event.
Schwinn "Spinning" is an indoor training on a special
bike accompanied by loud music with a clear beat.
Participants spin according to the trainer, and each
rider can change speed and resistance of the bike.
The six-hour marathon will begin near Armenia Marriott
Hotel in the capital’s Republic Square at 2.00 pm
Saturday. Throughout the event participants and guests
will be entertained by singers, dancers, comedians,
and will have a chance to watch fashion and martial
art shows.
`Our goal is not only to make it to the end of the
marathon, but we mostly wish to collect funds for
charity. We want people to come and join us, support
our charity goals and simply have fun with us,’ say
Hentszel, who together with instructor and event
co-organizer Mher Grigoryan, plans to repeat their
achievement of last year, by spinning all six hours.
Other participants may replace each other.
Each participant offers a symbolic contribution of
10,000 AMD (about $26) for each hour spent on the
bike.
Raffle tickets, at 2,000 AMD, will give buyers a
chance to win a flight to Vienna for one person and a
weekend stay for up to two people, as well as gifts
and prizes.
Armenia Marriott Hotel will also support the school
with the entire revenue made on September 16 in the
outside restaurant `Vienna Café’.
Hentszel says the motto of the marathon remains the
same: `There are no losers – we all can feel like true
winners’.
The event is held in partnership with Armenia Marriott
Hotel, ArmenTel, Austrian Airlines, HSBC Bank, Kotayk,
the British and US. Embassies in Armenia, Quality
School International (QSI), IAB Center.