On 1 July, Jacob Ackerman, 10, went to FLOW gym in West Mersea, Essex to lift a 3kg weight and mark the start of a special charity challenge being done in his name – ‘Jacob’s Jumbo Jet Lift’. During the month of July, the ‘Dumbbell Dozen’ led by West Mersea local Colin Morgan, 67, will attempt to lift 1,000 tonnes – the equivalent weight of a fully laden Boeing 747 jumbo jet plus an Airbus A380 super jumbo. Colin explains how the challenge came about.
Lifting the weight of two jumbo jets for inspirational Jacob
Over the past couple of years, I’ve taken on several charity challenges, including a 5,000 squat challenge last November. When I was coming towards the end of that, a fellow gym member, Lydia, approached me and asked if I’d ever done anything similar in aid of Muscular Dystrophy UK.
She went on to tell me about her 10-year-old son Jacob, who was diagnosed with limb girdle muscular dystrophy at the age of two. His condition causes his muscles to weaken over time and currently there’s no cure.
“I was more than happy to do something for their son and raise money to help fund new research and support people like Jacob living with muscle wasting conditions.”
My initial plan for the fundraising challenge was to lift the equivalent weight of a London double decker bus (approximately 15 tonnes) over one month. But this didn’t feel like much of a challenge, so I decided to aim bigger!
In my career, I worked alongside British Airways for a couple of years and have always remembered the fully laden take-off weight of a Boeing 747-400 jumbo jet is 420 tonnes. This seemed like a much worthier target, albeit beyond my personal capability in one month.
It wasn’t hard to get 11 gym colleagues onboard, especially as it was for Jacob and his family, and that’s how the ‘Dumbbell Dozen’ and ‘Jacob’s Jumbo Jet Lift’ was born. But one week into the challenge, we decided to supersize it and are now aiming to lift the equivalent weight of two planes – a Boeing 747 jumbo and an Airbus A380 super jumbo – which is 1,000 tonnes!
The month-long challenge is taking place at FLOW in West Mersea with the full support of founder Tom Bonds, who has set up a dedicated challenge page on the gym’s website.
The ‘Dumbbell Dozen’ comprises ten men and two women and we will lift a total of 1,000 tonnes over the month of July using barbells, dumbbells and kettlebells via a range of exercises, including squats, deadlifts, presses, rows and raises.
As well as lifting the first kilos on 1 July, Jacob will be there alongside us to lift the final kilos of the challenge on 31 July.
A message from Jacob’s mum Lydia:
“We’re incredibly grateful to Colin and every single person taking part in this challenge and standing with Jacob. It’s about more than physical strength and endurance. They’re helping to shine a light on muscular dystrophy and supporting those, like my son Jacob, who face its challenges every day. For families like ours, each day brings new tests of resilience, but also new reasons to fight, raise awareness, to fund research, and to push for treatments that can change lives.
“Jacob is an inspiration. Despite the physical difficulties he faces, he remains determined, joyful and full of life. He’s joining this challenge, not just to raise funds, but to stand proudly among those working for a better future. A future where a diagnosis of muscular dystrophy comes with hope, not fear. This challenge is symbolic of the strength our community shows in the face of this condition.”
Want to support Colin & Jacob?
By supporting the Dumbbell Dozen’s efforts, you’ll be contributing to crucial research for individuals living with muscle wasting conditions.
Inspired by this story?
There are so many ways you can fundraise for people living with a muscle wasting or weakening condition. No idea is too big or too small.
