Most of you know I have been on the triathlon trail since 2010 and have gone from 1 per year to umm err 4 in 2012 (placings 9th, 7th, 11th & 7th) which has included mingling with Team GB Tri Team at Blenheim Palace before the Olympics get me !  Some of you will recall I raised funds for my first ever race as it was a rather daunting and frightening experience, but subsequently I haven’t, since I felt it wasn’t a great enough feat to warrant asking people to put their hands in their wallets for something I was essentially ok with in the scare/effort factor (well apart from the swimming..). 

 

Well this might have been fortunate because I have decided to man up and do somewhat of a bigger challenge in the grand scheme of things.  This has nothing to do with racing or competing, but doing something to make a difference and at the same time taking me out of my comfort zone.  So without further ado, I hereby declare that in May 2013, I shall be endeavouring to cycle 850 miles in 10 days across Vietnam (Lao Cai to Da Nang).  Those who know me will know I absolutely LOATHE hills.  This ride doesn’t only involve hills …… more like MOUNTAINS.  Two words:  serious pain. 

 

To date I have only completed 2 singular rides of 100km in one sitting which by the end I was hurting in places one shouldn’t be hurting … plus the timing of the ride will mean some brutally cold training sessions over the UK winter.   However to ACTUALLY GET THERE and start pedalling I am in need of raising some serious dosh.  Can I do it I ask myself – both the ride itself and the fundraising?  Perhaps with a bit of help from my family, friends, colleagues, fun fundraising along the way and sheer determination I am going to make it.  Will I return with legs like Chris Hoy, or sideburns like Wiggo?  I know a few of you will be muttering good grief, what madcap scheme has she come up with now … well here it is!  Call it what you may, midlife crisis, momentary lapse of sense, one sandwich short of a picnic etc etc.  By the way – this doesn’t mean the triathlons will be stopping…

 

Now, more importantly, a little more about the Charity I am supporting. You will all agree that each newborn child has the promise of a life – of love, family and achievement.  In Vietnam, many children never get the chance to live beyond their first day, and the promise is lost.  This is where Newborns Vietnam comes in.  Newborns Vietnam is a UK registered charity dedicated to reducing neonatal mortality.  Sponsorship from the ride will support UK led nurse training and life saving equipment.

 

Most people have no idea that around the world 3.3 million babies die every year and at least a million die on their first day of life.  3.3 million is over 9,000 a day and 99.85% of these deaths are in developing or poor countries. Many babies would survive if they were delivered by a trained midwife and cared for by a nurse with experience of newborn care. Neonatal (first 28 days of life) health care receives little funding relative to the staggeringly large numbers of deaths.   In Vietnam there is no neonatal (newborn) nurse training. 

 

Survival should not be about where in the world a baby is born.  More trained health workers and nurses would save newborns lives. I am inspired to help make a difference to the life chances of newborns in Vietnam.  With your support, I am hoping to raise enough money for the training of a specialist nurse for the Da Nang Women’s & Children’s Hospital in Vietnam and the provision of medical equipment for the hospital’s special care baby unit.

 

After all the hills (mountains) and the one last big climb over the Hai Van pass it is downhill all the way to Da Nang and I will actually meet the nurse that my ride will sponsor and the babies.  With your support we can make a big difference.