My old university flat mate Rob (or RD as I call him) was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease (MND) in March 2015. He was only 32 when he found out.

Having secured a place at CELTMAN 2016, I knew that this event was going to be as much about raising money for a charity of Rob's choice as it was about me.

Rob has chosen Marie Curie who have been providing him with fantastic palliative care.

What is CELTMAN?

220 Triathlon sums it up:

"A bracing swim in a Scottish sea loch full of  jelly fish. The bike is 202km and you’re exposed to Atlantic winds on the hilliest parts. Expect the final 40km to be into a headwind with long, draggy climbs, lonely and exposed. Onto the marathon distance run, it’s uphill straight off to shake the biking legs before the mountain of Ben Eighe looms. The climb to its summit is like a wall (over 950m of ascent in a few kms), basically it’s extreme power hiking onto the rocky spine of the mountain. The rough downhill has your quads in agony, before a final cruel stretch of flat tarmac to finish"

I have until June 25th to prepare and train for this epic event. It's an honour to be part of it and to do something for Rob, but every penny I raise will make it all the more meaningful. Not to mention the good it will do for people like Rob and their families who find themselves in need of Marie Curie's support when they least expect it.

Keep an eye on my blog for training updates and a race day report: www.medium.com/@JamesBrowne77

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