Guernsey teen tackles 30 triathlons in 30 days for hospice

Wednesday, 26 August 2026 13:40

A teenage boy is pushing himself to the limit to raise money for Les Bourgs Hospice.

Earlier this year, 13-year-old Rory Marquis lost his stepdad Tom Harvey to cancer.

It is the second time Rory has lost a father figure to the disease, as his biological dad Simon Marquis died when he was just 16 months old.

Rory’s stepdad spent his final two weeks at Les Bourgs Hospice.

Rory says staff made those final days as “peaceful and special as they could”, so he wanted to give back.

He has set up a Giving page and challenged himself to complete a triathlon every day for 30 days.

He started on 5 August with 3km of cycling, 2km of running and 1km of swimming.

An ear infection has stopped Rory swimming every day, so he’s doing more cycling and running to make up the distance.

Rory says the challenge is well outside his comfort zone.

"I’m not athletic. I don’t do any of these sports normally. So this is really tough for me physically and mentally.

"But I want to push myself because the hospice pushed themselves for us.

"They gave my stepdad dignity and love right until the end, and they supported my whole family when we needed it most.

"This challenge is my way of saying thank you.

"Every donation helps Les Bourgs Hospice continue their amazing work.

"It means other families going through the hardest moments of their lives can have the same kindness, care, and support we had."

Rory has already more than quadrupled his fundraising goal of £1,000.

Victoria Harvey says her son has amazed her.

"I am so utterly proud of him.

"I knew from the very beginning when he said that he was going to do this triathlon challenge that it was going to be a very big ask.

"But he is quite strong-willed, so there's no way he's not going to finish it; I can see it now."

Rory and mum Victoria Harvey

More from Guernsey News