Hi! My name is Peter Zacaroli and I'm taking part in the Crystal Palace Triathlon on 22nd May 2011 to raise money for Mind, a leading mental health charity in memory of my brother-in-law David and father-in-law David.
The event will involve a 750m Swim, 20km Bike Rike and a 5km Run! All good stuff for a 40 year old!
I haven't run anything before, but decided I wanted to run a triathlon and began training in January. I haven't swum for many years and I'm not really a runner either!*!*! I did go to the gym occasionally and enjoy cycling, so I wasn't completely unfit; this won't be a remake of run fat boy run!
I had originally decided to do it for Cancer Research in memory of my Mum who died two years ago. But my brother-in-law David died last year of suicide and my sister Mary told me she wanted to help raise awareness of severe mental illness and the way people are treated in this country. As my father-in-law also spent seven years in care due to mental illness before his death from a heart attack, I decided to raise money for this very misunderstood illness.
At my request, Mary recommended Oxfordshire Mind as they had helped her husband, David. He used to attend sessions on Thursday nights which helped working people cope with mental and emotional health problems.
David took his life last year after a long battle with a personality disorder. He was incredibly brave and managed to keep going for two years despite having a constant urge to kill himself. He left behind Mary, two children and his own mother and siblings.
As something that has affected such close family members, you can see I have two good reasons to be raising money for Mind. The charity does a lot of good work in the community and I feel they deserve more recognition and support.
Thanks for your kind support. It means a lot to me and to my family to be able to help this charity.
Best wishes.
Peter ;o)
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 and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity. So please dig deep and donate now.
