Apparently as you go into your 30s your stamina is increases. I dearly hope this is true, else things are not going to be pretty in two weeks time.

In a few weekends I'm doing a quadrathlon in Scotland. 

• Swim - 1.5k (0.8 miles) across a loch
  
• Run/Walk - taking in seven Munro's  (approx 24k or 15 miles)
• Kayak - 11k (7 miles) back to the start (grrrr... why the START dammit?!)
  
• Cycle - around Loch Tay 54k (34 miles)

That means travelling about 60 miles under our own steam, up down and round and round. That's SAS in the Falklands levels of hardcore.

This really is going to be the hardest thing I've ever done in one go, and needless to say I'm not doing it for fun. Well, not that much. The before and after might be fun but there's going to be about 13 hours of the doing it that isn't. So this email is just to try to get you to give MercyCorps some money.

MercyCorps (http://www.mercycorps.org.uk/) is actually doing some really good stuff, which ISN'T your normal run of the mill "save one poor kid" kind of economic squandering -- they're investing in carbon neutral job creation (eg solar panels in Bosnia and micro hydro-power in Colombia - http://www.mercycorps.org.uk/topics/environment) and microfinancing (http://www.mercycorps.org.uk/countries/indonesia/2481), which has got to be the #1 way of genuinely making a difference (I strongly recommend Banker to the Poor by Nobel Prize winner Mohammed Yunus, and Confessions of an Economic Hitman by John Perkins if you'd like a few remarkable reads why this is the case).

Go on, you've read this far you might as well. What's a tenner? It's about 2 drinks, right? Would you bet me two drinks to do this? Well there you go then. Worth it just to see the the stupid kid do something stupid. 

If you do donate - THANK YOU!

If you don't donate - seriously... 10 quid... that's... just think how much of a difference that can make to someone else who isn't you... ok example: I was in Buenos Aires a few months ago and £10 bought dinner and wine for 5 people. In the crappy countries money buys LOTS. All we're doing here is empowering YOUR £10 note. We're taking it from being a relatively crappy amount of money and turning it into the King of Everything, and giving it the powers to save the world. The £10 note that you once owned is going to save the world! Because YOU made it happen! EPIC!