Dan's 365 Challenge - Supporting Cancer Research UK

Dan's 365 Challenge - Supporting Cancer Research UK https://www.justgiving.com/page/danlewis365

26/07/2026

Well, sadly I've had to press pause on the challenge... and, for once, I've decided to listen to my body.

Not one, but two horsefly bites have become infected. One leg has swollen around the ankle, the other has developed a blister roughly the size of a thimble, and walking has become enough of an event without adding a skipping rope into the mix.

Any skips I miss will be made up (with interest). This challenge isn't over, it's simply on hold while I give myself the best chance of getting back to it properly.

Ironically, I'd even carved out the perfect space to continue, avoiding the Floridian humidity and the sunshine that's been trying its best to finish me off all week.

Sometimes pushing through is the right thing to do... Sometimes the harder decision is knowing when to stop for a moment so you can come back stronger.

So for now, it's rest, antibiotic cream that doesn't seem to exist in the UK, and hopefully getting back to walking like a normal human being.

Onward and upward... just as soon as my legs agree.

(I won't share the images as it may make more of you feel unwell!)

It's a long one (sorry) Well... the run was certainly eventful.The heat played a much bigger part than I'd anticipated. ...
13/07/2026

It's a long one (sorry)

Well... the run was certainly eventful.

The heat played a much bigger part than I'd anticipated. Staying cool became a challenge in itself, and somewhere along the way I managed to remove a respectable chunk of skin from my leg. It definitely made the final part of the course something I had to dig deep to push through.

But as uncomfortable as it was, it's nothing compared to what people living with cancer endure every day. That thought alone was enough to keep me moving.

The good news is that my legs are slowly beginning to resemble legs again, rather than overcooked sausages, and we've now broken the £1,000 mark in donations.

Honestly... that's incredible.

I'm genuinely humbled by everyone's kindness, generosity, messages of support and the names you trusted me to carry on my shirt. Thank you!

And... As if the run wasn't eventful enough, it transpires I've discovered yet another challenge that I was unknowingly competing with...

Apparently I completed the entire run with a retinal haemorrhage.

So, to recap, the day consisted of:

- 30°C+ heat,
- 30ish inflatable obstacles,
- removing a chunk of skin from my leg,
- and, as it turns out, one eye deciding to freestyle.

It's almost as if my body looked at the challenge and thought, "This seems a little too achievable."

Thankfully it has now been checked over, and I'm hoping it settles down over the coming days.

The 100 skips continue, albeit perhaps with a little more appreciation for listening to my body every now and then... (maybe).

01/07/2026

6 months in and probably time for another little roundup.

The updates have been a bit quieter recently, but thankfully the rope hasn't - The challenge is still very much alive, even if my creative writing has occasionally been replaced by simply collapsing on the sofa.

The recent heatwave certainly added a new level of difficulty... There have been sessions in temperatures that made the garden feel more like the surface of the sun, all while trying to convince myself that 100 skips was somehow a sensible idea.

Naturally, this led to some important scientific research into weight saving:

First it was shorts and socks.

Then, in the interests of shaving every possible gram, it progressed to just my underwear... and eventually barefoot.

I can now confidently report that the weight saving is almost certainly outweighed by repeatedly introducing a near-supersonic plastic rope to your right big toe... followed immediately by the incredibly specific pain of it slapping straight between your toes to add insult to injury.

Turns out shoes exist for a reason.

Through all of this, the one thing that hasn't changed is the challenge itself. Every single day, the skips have been done. Some days have been easier than others, some have involved questionable life choices, but the goal remains exactly the same.

Thank you to everyone who's continued to follow, donate, and encourage me along the way. It all genuinely helps more than you probably realise.

18,200 skips (minimum) completed so far 💪

21/06/2026

Life has been busy recently, and whilst the creative writing side of this challenge has taken a bit of a back seat, the skips most certainly haven't. Every day they're still getting done.

The run is getting closer too, and over the next week I'll be putting together the designs for the names that will be printed on my shirt. If you'd like the name of someone affected by cancer included, please get in touch. I'd be honoured to carry them with me.

Father's Day feels a little different this year. Between trying to balance my own needs, those of my family, work, fundraising, and the reality of my dad's diagnosis, it's hard not to be reminded of how temporary everything really is.

Oddly, I've found some comfort in that too.

The Japanese have a concept called "wabi-sabi" - finding beauty in things that are imperfect, incomplete, and temporary. The older I get, the more I realise that some of life's most precious moments are valuable precisely because they are time-bound.

So let's celebrate those memories, the people we love, the time we have.

And hopefully, through science/research and support, help create more of those moments for the families who will need them in the future.

Thank you to everyone who has supported this challenge so far. The skips continue, the run is getting closer, and next week's 30degC+ temperatures are going to be... 'character building'.

24/05/2026

Tonight we answer another important scientific question:

Is it easier to skip without a massive thorn repeatedly stabbing you in the foot?

After extensive testing, we can confidently conclude: Yes.

The heat today however, is absolutely taking its toll. Combined with yesterday’s questionable repeated flip-flop-based research project, it appears the repeated rope strikes have now managed to partially split the toenail that was bravely taking most of the punishment.

So tonight’s session featured:

- heat exhaustion,
- a wounded toe,
- and a slightly concerned level of stubbornness.

Still, the 100 got done as always!

Toe operational, scientific integrity maintained, footwear choices under review.

Well tonight I asked the important scientific question:Is skipping in flip-flops a repeatable method?The answer is (tech...
23/05/2026

Well tonight I asked the important scientific question:
Is skipping in flip-flops a repeatable method?

The answer is (technically) yes.

If you’re also asking whether the success rate remained the same, then the answer is a resounding... No.

Catching a near-supersonic plastic rope in that tiny gap between the big toe and the toenail hurts far more than seems reasonable and results in a completely different style of hopping around the garden.

Also, it turns out the “small stone” from yesterday was not a stone at all, but a 10mm+ thorn that had apparently embedded itself with the determination of a medieval weapon. Every slightly wrong landing came with a sharp reminder of its existence.

Thorn now removed, toe mildly irritated.

100 done - though medical science may wish to review the methodology. Lego un-Lego-er for scale, no banana to hand.

22/05/2026

Today I answered the question that absolutely nobody has been asking:

Is it possible to complete 100 skips while suffering from heat exhaustion and wearing flip-flops?

Against all common sense, the answer is apparently - YES.

Not only that... all 100 were somehow done in one go despite a tiny fragment of stone lodging itself between my left big toe and the base of the flip-flop, which instantly transformed into what felt like a four-foot shard of jagged glass specifically engineered for maximum annoyance.

By the end of it I was significantly sweatier than when I started, mildly dehydrated, and questioning several recent life choices.

The 100 are still getting done, every single day, rain or shine.

14/05/2026

Back to the conditions from the start of the year tonight - rain dodging and tactical timing.

Only this time, with the light left off, it also involved navigating the collection of sticks the children have apparently gathered from every forest in Hampshire and thoughtfully scattered directly outside the back door in what can only be described as a springtime Home Alone defence system.

With no light to rely on, the mission became entirely audio-based. Pure sensory perception. Listening for the whoosh of the rope and attempting to channel my inner Daredevil.

And somehow… it worked!

The goal was achieved in glorious darkness: damp ground, dry air, silence, and a suspicious amount of confidence in my ability to not trip over woodland debris.

11/05/2026

It’s been another short hiatus in the creative writing department - though certainly not in the “why are my legs burning and maybe I should stretch my hamstrings more” department.

Tonight marked the first time the 100 were completed with… limited clothing. And by “limited” I mean just pyjama bottoms, bouncing up and down in the evening air smelling faintly of Tom Ford F-ing Fabulous like some sort of exhausted middle-aged fragrance advert.

Thankfully, just as I was starting, I suddenly remembered the important lesson from last time: a heavy phone in loose-fitting trousers and repeated hopping are not compatible! The phone was swiftly removed before the clothing offered even less structural integrity.

Reset. Refocused. Then smashed out another 100 in a row.

Now safely back indoors warming up, surrounded by fluffy little felines and considerably less risk of accidental public indecency.

04/05/2026

Tonight I learned that soft-toed shoes and a near-supersonic piece of plastic rope are not a particularly harmonious combination.

It is, in fact, remarkably easy to catch that very specific spot between the big toe and the toenail with an agonising level of accuracy!!

Naturally, once discovered, this became a recurring theme rather than a one-off event...

As it turns out, footwear does make a difference! A valuable lesson - learned repeatedly.

On a much more positive note, the donations are coming in and we’re now comfortably over the £500 mark, which is genuinely incredible - thank you so much to everyone who’s supported so far!!

As for tonight:
100 done.
Toe reconsidering its life choices.
Fundraising moving in the right direction.

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Fareham

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