"Anything is possible" is the motto of Ironman....how many times have we all heard this statement but always thought it applies more to other people rather than ourselves.....well, after qualifying for the Ironman World Championships in Kona which are being held on the 13th of October, I certainly feel that this statement has a lot more truth to it than I have ever dreamed off....I never thought it was possible but somehow I did it...I qualified with a 5th place finish in the 45-49 age group at Ironman Mont Tremblant, Canada and am now competing with 2,000 of the best endurance athletes, in what is no doubt one of the toughest one day endurance events in the world...battling the heat and humidity on the big island of Hawaii to complete the grueling 3.8km swim, 180km bike and 42km marathon will require not only physical fitness but also enormous mental toughness.

Some of you may ask "why" and believe me, I have asked myself the same question many times, but I wanted to use my qualifying race in Canada and now Kona as a platform to tell you about the charity Sophie is now working for (yes, she has finally graduated with a degree in Zoology) and help raise money to support them. I know we all get inundated with requests each year to give money to worthwhile causes and without them lots of good work just wouldn't get done. IAR is not only a fantastic charity, but Sophie will also make sure that every Pound, Dollar & Euro you donate will be put to great use. For anyone who would like to know more about the charity, please have a look at their website (www.internationalanimalrescue.org) or get in touch with Sophie directly. Hopefully my pain will be their gain, so please help out as best as you can. See http://bit.ly/hQzZDB for a story that highlights the need for this work.

The World Championship is on Saturday October 13th, so there is still time for you to donate to this incredibly worthy cause.

Thank you!