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<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;">Meet the Ironman</span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">Most people these days are familiar with marathons (Paula Radcliffe, pantomime horses etc.) and triathlons where swimming and cycling are added to running, are increasingly popular. However I think it is fair to say that few people have heard of Ironman competitions. Here competitors (or are they called inmates) swim in open water for 2.4 miles, get out of the water and cycle for 112 miles ( about London to Bristol) and then finish with a refreshing full marathon of 26.2 miles! Not only that but each section has to be completed inside strict time limits- fail that and you are eliminated, crawling and probably crying from the competition. You have 17 hours to complete the whole journey.</span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"> </span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> M</span>eet Pete Tame. Pete is not a bereaved parent but knows the preciousness of a young life as he has a son who is 2 in June. Pete spends much of his time looking after Matthew as his wife, Tersia, is something in the Compliance Department of a major city firm. In addition to his fatherly duties (and acting as morale officer to his own father who has just finished a radiotherapy course to combat bowel cancer) Pete is combining his own career as an outstanding physiotherapist, with a punishing training schedule to participate in the UK Ironman competition in Bolton on the 22</span><span style="font-size: small;"> July.</span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pete, 32 from Sidcup Kent, is not your normal light, wiry long distance athlete. When he started his training a few months ago he weighed in at somewhat over 20 stone. Now an increasingly svelte 17stone the project has already cost him a fortune in new clothes.</span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why? Well one reason is to raise much needed funds for The Compassionate Friends. As <span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Pete says –‘It is a personal goal, but I chose TCF as a big thank you for all the kindness I have been shown by a local TCF family over the years. Plus, when the training gets tough (which is has), the charity kind of puts things into perspective really. Makes you get up at 4.30am and go for a 6 mile run!’</span></span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"> </span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">If you would like to offer Pete a few words of encouragement or even better a few quid his Just Giving page is </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><a href="http://www.justgiving.com/petetame"><span style="color: windowtext;">www.justgiving.com/petetame</span></a></span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">For those with somewhat deeper pockets I would point out that he has already lost 50 pounds in his quest to support TCF. It would be nice to replace it! He can be followed on Twitter (Pete is somewhat dyslexic so don’t expect Shakespeare) @petetame<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="text-decoration: underline;"></span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"> </span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">His aim is to raise £2,000 –not much per mile but very valuable to TCF. If you can let’s help him beat this target -meet Pete the Ironman.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"> </span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">NB we have included a picture of Pete firstly so that if you spot him cycling wildly by at 5.00 in the morning you know who he is and secondly for Tersia who sees increasingly less of Pete in every respect.</span></p>
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