Last year I took part in the Bloodwise Blenheim Palace Triathlon for the first time. It was at the same time both awe inspiring and humbling. Literally thousands of people taking part in a triathlon hosted in stunning grounds raising the profile of (and in many cases funds for) the Bloodwise Charity (formerley Leukemia and Lymphoma Research). Many of those taking part were doing so in their first triathlon whilst at the other end of the spectrum Elite athletes were competing in the British Championships. Somewhere in the middle was... me!

Among the thousands were a small number of Weekend Warriors, competing to finish the Sprint Course as many times as they could over the duration of the weekend event. At the same time, these 'Warriors' were banded together attempting to raise money for a charity working in an area that has either affected or will affect every one of us in some way. This year the 'Weekend Warriors' has been allowed to grow to 100 competitors and I shall be one of them.

My personal target is six triathlons, three on each day. From my limited experience at Blenheim the part I'm looking forward to least is the 400m run up the steep hill from the swim exit to transition! I vainly watched the event on television last year when it was broadcast after the event. A prominent element was how this run up the hill was laced with inspirational quotations from and pictures of Winston Churchill. Such was my state as I ran up that hill, I had no recollection that those pictures and quotations were actually there!