By Brad Poole
A lot of people in and around Ellicottville know Bradley Poole. He recently opened Warrior Fitness in Ellicottville. Poole has also aggressively promoted his fight against Cystic Fibrosis (CF). This June 3rd and 4th, Poole will be doing another grueling fitness challenge to help raise funds for his cause as he also suffers from CF. His goal this year is to raise $25,000. Poole explains his fight and challenge here.
We are back for year number 3! If you’re new to what I have done in years past I’ll fill you in. As most know, I was born with cystic fibrosis, a life limiting disease that causes thick, sticky mucus to build up in the lungs and other parts of the body. Long story short, the mucus limits our ability to breathe over time causing lung damage and early death. Most people with CF dont live past 40.
My mission for the past 8 years has been to find a cure for CF through different fundraising events. We receive no government funding so the only way to have access to better medications and a cure is through donations. All donations go directly to the CF foundation, which in turn, go towards research for life prolonging treatments.
I’ve done basketball tournaments, corn hole tournaments, exercise events and as of 2020, I started changing my fundraisers to intense physical challenges. The way I see it, if someone hears of someone doing something absolutely INSANE it will draw their attention. This will not only raise eye brows, but will get the awareness out that we need for CF. Case in point, for my 2020 event I raised $65,000 and for my 2021 event I raised $45,000.
In 2020 I ran 266 miles in 7 days through every town in Cattaraugus County. Last year I attempted running 300 miles in 3 days, but only made it 100 miles before getting hospitalized due to dehydration. Both events were a HUGE HIT and gained a lot of media attention which is what the CF community needs.
This year I’m adding a twist to my running. I will be doing a 24-hour fitness challenge that includes: 1) 50-mile run, 2) 3,000 pushups, 3) 3,000 squats, 4) 3,000 sit-ups, 5) 1,000 tire flips with 250 LB tire and 6) 15-mile bike ride. I’ll complete all of this in 24 hours and if I have time left on the clock, I’ll add more stuff until I exercise for 24 hours straight!
Lots of hard work and training goes into these crazy events. I’m blessed that I have the ability to do things like this. Not many people with CF can say they are so lucky. I do this for them, their families and myself. I sure as hell don’t want to die young so my goal is to train hard, do my treatments and fundraise until that cure is found.
After the challenge on June 4th there is a party with food, drinks, muisc, and other entertainment at Warrior Fitness & Wellness in Ellicottville. Poole will finish the challenge there. To make donations to the cause and learn more about Bradley Poole and his endeavor go to passion.cff.org/24hoursforcfc/bradpoole.