Thanks for visiting my fund raising page.

I've wanted to get fit for a long time and, while not in bad shape, years of booze and eating nice food have left me nicely "cuddly". I realised the only way for me to get properly fit was to set myself an impossible challenge - one in which I would either succeed or else die in the process.

As most of you know, I don't do things by halves and always throw myself right in at the deep end. I thought about running a marathon. Naah. Then, what about a triathlon. I decided triathlons are for wimps (sorry, Chris W, please don't beat me up!) So I signed up to do the Artemis Great Kindrochit Quadrathlon. It takes place in July up in Scotland and involves swimming a mile across a freezing loch, then a 15 mile run/walk/crawl up and down seven Munros, then a 7 mile kayak back to the start, and finally a 34 mile cycle round the loch.

To quote the website: "Make no mistake this will be a serious challenge and will test your fitness, robustness and resilience to the limit."

Oh, b*gger. What have I signed up for :( ?????????

Well, too late now. My target is to complete the entire course in under 15 hours, or die in the attempt. My training has been going really well but there's a lot of hard work to do between now and July. What will make it tougher is that I've never been busier or worked harder at work, and I will be sleep deprived during the whole training period, as my 2nd daughter will be born on 22nd February. Yet, to achieve this, I really have to train hard to get fit every day.

Your support would mean the world to me (and all the people your kind donations will help), so please give generously. I will look forward to sharing the experience with you all when it's all over.

Donating through this site is simple, fast and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way to sponsor me: Mercy Corps Scotland will receive your money faster and, if you are a UK taxpayer, an extra 28% in tax will be added to your gift at no cost to you.

Many thanks for your support.

James