Hi!

Thanks for visiting my JustGiving page.

Having turned 50 earlier in the year, I wanted to find a suitable challenge that would mark the occasion and offer me the opportunity to raise money for Macmillan, as I have been so impressed observing the work they do in helping patients and their families/friends dealing with the trauma of cancer. 

Ironman Wales is generally regarded as one of the toughest Ironman events consisting of a 2.5 mile sea swim, followed by 112miles bike course and a full distance (26.2mile) marathon, all in under 17 hours on quite a hilly course! Having trained specifically for this event for almost a year, I am now seeking support to ensure the fundraising opportunity isn't wasted.

I've been fortunate to enjoy an active lifestyle and health has always been important to me, although I have never really competed in any organised races or triathlons before. Ironman Wales presented a suitable personal challenge to satisfy my mid-life-crisis and, one that hopefully, would gain a significant following and level of sponsorship.

Potentially one in three people will suffer from cancer at some point in their life, and the rest will have a friend or relative who has suffered with this disease. It's hard to imagine having to deal with the physical and psychological stresses this must bring. This is where the support of the Macmillan nurses is so valuable. My sister has battled with the effects of a brain tumour for 8 years, undergoing various courses of therapy, two close friends have recently lost their fathers to cancer and several children from my school have, over the years, suffered from this devastating illness. The Macmillan nurses have offered their support not only to the individuals, but to their extended family and friends, most recently to the children at school affected by the terrible loss of a member of their peer group. This work is invaluable and takes great courage. 

Supporting Macmillan is one way we can ensure that help will be available for anyone at these worrying times. 

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity. So it’s the most efficient way to donate – saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

So please dig deep and donate now.

 

Post-event update:-

Well, I survived and managed to complete the event in 14 hr11mins, so almost three hours to spare. Without doubt the fact that so many of you have placed your trust and money in support of this helped keep me going. I'm totally gobsmacked by the response and it's really great to be able to pass on such a generous donation to Macmillan. Thank you to everyone who contributed and for all the words of encouragement.