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On Sunday I competed in The Marlow Rowing Club Rowers' Revenge Triathlon to raise money in memory of my friend Harry Mills. Harry was my friend at playgroup and I played sport with him until he died tragically from meningitis, aged 11. He was the most amazingly talented young athlete I've ever known. He always inspired those of us who were lucky enough to know him, and he still does.
My first triathlon was a really eventful affair and in the end I was given a special prize by the organisers for covering the most distance. Here's what happened:
I got off to a great start with a 4k ergo time of 14'23" and was doing really well on the bike until I had a major puncture near Danesfield House...I couldn't repair it (and had forgotten to pack spare inner tube!). So I ran and walked all way back to Higginson Park carrying the bike. I felt terrible that I had let people down and wouldn't be able to do what I had planned to commemorate Harry.
It was great to see my friend Seb come over the finish line but I still felt really despondent. Then my mum joked that I could always join in the last heat of the sprint event which was about to start (which is exactly the same as the standard triathlon apart from a 2k ergo instead of 4k.) So I quickly arranged to borrow Seb's bike and shoes and started the triathlon all over again... This time I was successful and completed it in 1hr21minutes which put me in 2nd place for the junior sprint event.
It was really tough towards the end but thinking of why I was doing it and the support I'd been given really helped. I know Harry wouldn't have given up easily so in some ways I'm pleased that I made it even harder for myself. As I ran the 5k at the end I kept thinking of Harry and how he always seemed to be smiling as he made all sport look so easy and this really spurred me on.
I have decided that my fundraising in memory of Harry will go to one of the charities The Mills family supports in his name, The Youth Sport Trust. The Trust aims to build a brighter future for all young people through sport by empowering them and building their self esteem whatever their age or ability.
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Jacob
