There are plenty of things you could do with 12 hours.
Sleep. Work. Binge an entire television series. Fly to another country. Stare at your phone for an embarrassingly large portion of the day.
Or, apparently, you could spend it exercising.
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It sounds slightly unhinged, but that is exactly what participants at The Big Spin are signing themselves up for.
The 12-hour spin bike challenge will see teams take turns keeping their bike moving continuously from 8am until 8pm, while those brave enough can ditch the teammates altogether and attempt the entire 12 hours solo.
So, why on earth are these people exercising for 12 hours straight?
While fitness events have increasingly become a social affair, with music, matching activewear, friendly competition and a healthy dose of suffering thrown in, The Big Spin has a much bigger reason for getting people on the bikes.
Held at Fleet Steps overlooking the Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge, the event combines the atmosphere of a festival with a mammoth physical challenge, all in the name of raising money for sick children and their families.
Live music will pump throughout the day as teams cheer each other on and riders battle to keep their bike moving for the full 12 hours.
Behind the music and burning legs is Ronald McDonald House Greater Western Sydney, which supports more than 5,937 families with sick or injured children each year.
For those families, a child’s illness can mean suddenly juggling hospital visits, accommodation, meals and time away from work while dealing with an already enormous emotional toll.
Ronald McDonald House aims to take some of that pressure away.
Its 60-room House in Westmead operates 365 days a year and provides a home away from home for more than 1,600 families annually while their children receive treatment.
And accommodation is only part of the picture.
The charity also operates Family Rooms where parents can shower, eat or simply take a much-needed break from the hospital ward, Hospitality Carts providing bedside comforts and programs helping ensure families have access to nutritious food.
More than 72,000 meals and snacks were provided last year alone.
It means every hour spent pedalling at The Big Spin has a purpose considerably bigger than clocking kilometres on a fitness tracker.
So, are fitness events the new festivals?
Well, The Big Spin certainly has the music, crowds, mates and atmosphere — just with more Lycra, fewer beers and considerably sorer legs the next morning.
The event also makes exercising for 12 hours straight sound a lot less crazy when doing so helps families stay together through some of the toughest days of their lives.
