Op ENDURANCE is a fundraising campaign and a test of resilience, strength and determination. Led by Sarah Newey, the fundraiser brings together extreme endurance challenges and a deeply personal motivation: giving back to the veterans’ community that supported her at one of the most difficult points in her life.
After serving in the British Army, Sarah was medically discharged and later diagnosed with PTSD. Like many veterans transitioning into civilian life, she faced a period marked by uncertainty and isolation. It was during this time, she was supported by the Veterans’ Orthopaedic Hub at the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital, which provides specialist care, rehabilitation, and community connection for veterans with complex physical and psychological needs.
That support proved life-changing for Sarah. The Hub offered not only clinical care, but understanding and hope. Op ENDURANCE started because Sarah wants other veterans to have access to the same vital support she did, and she believes that taking on challenges with a clear purpose can help people heal.
Op ENDURANCE is a year-long programme of physically and mentally demanding endurance events. Each challenge has been carefully chosen to push limits, encourage personal growth, and raise awareness as well as vital funds. This is going to be an extraordinary commitment of time, discipline, and resilience.
The campaign includes an eight-day self-sufficient expedition in the Arctic Circle, where Sarah will face extreme cold, isolation, physical fatigue and everything else that goes with the harshest of environments. She is also taking on some of the UK’s most iconic challenges, including the London Marathon (run in partnership with the Invictus Games Foundation), and the Three Peaks Challenge, climbing the highest mountains in Scotland, England, and Wales within 24 hours.
Op ENDURANCE also includes a series of demanding triathlon events, including the Outlaw Half Ironman and Slateman Snowdonia, combining long-distance swimming, cycling, and running in some of the country’s toughest terrain. Added to this is Snowdon 24, a relentless challenge involving repeated ascents of Snowdon over a 24-hour period, and finally the ultimate test: Ironman Leeds…one of the most gruelling types of endurance races.
While these events are intimidating on their own, Op ENDURANCE will test Sarah’s limits with each mile run, climb completed, and hour spent training representing remembrance and thanks to those who’ve served.
Funds raised through the campaign directly support the Veterans’ Orthopaedic Hub, helping to enhance and maintain facilities and expand the services the veterans rely on. This includes support that addresses mental health and long-term recovery that’s often lost after leaving the Armed Forces.
Sarah wants Op ENDURANCE to remind us that healing has its ups and downs, and strength grows again when people keep going, support each other, and share a common goal. Sarah’s journey to back to health, highlights the role that physical challenge can play in mental wellbeing, particularly for those with military backgrounds who thrive on structure, goals, and teamwork.
By supporting Op ENDURANCE, donations will ensure veterans are not left behind once their uniform comes off.
To donate and support Sarah, please visit https://www.justgiving.com/page/opendurance?newPage=true
