Hello everyone!

So the time has nearly come for all of my lack of training to finally be paid off! Yes, on Sunday 8th August, I will be attempting an olympic distance triathlon as part of the London Triathlon 2010. I'll begin with a quick 1 mile dip into the Thames, followed by a 26 mile spot of cycling, topped off by a 6 mile run into the centre of town. It should be a walk in the park, something I don't think I'll be able to do very successfully afterwards.

And this reason I'm doing this particular event that I'm clearly so ill-suited to? Well, in 2008, I had the absolute privilege of visiting Dar es Salam, Tanzania, and spending time working with the Dogodogo Centre, an amazing charity that provides living quarters, education and social activities to young children that have been forced to live on the streets and fend for themselves for a multitude of reasons; often they had often lost their parents and family to HIV, or had had to run away from an abusive upbringing. But when they are taken in by Dogodogo, they are truly given a second chance, and so I got to spend time getting to meet some of the most creative, enthusiastic and intelligent young people I've ever met. 

The charity's founder, Sister Jean Pruitt, works tirelessly to raise funds to keep the centre running, but it is truly a mammoth task. And so, I'm running this triathlon and hoping to raise as much money as I can, as even a small amount can make a huge difference, and I can honestly say I've seen this difference myself - and it's amazing. I highly recommend you look at this excellent website which will explain exactly how the various charities that Sister Jean has created work to help the children of Tanzania, it's truly astonishing:

http://www.steppingstonestz.com

So yes, whatever you can donate will be absolutely appreciated by both myself and the Dododogo centre. I'll personally thank each and every one of you who donate once I'm done - if you can take the time to donate, then I can take the time to thank you for it! And if you want to see me doing my thing in lycra in a month's time, then absolutely feel free to come along - I'll pop details onto Facebook about where and when to spot me!

Thanks once again in advance for whatever you can give, it really is going to a worthy cause.

All the best,

Anthony :) 

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