Welcome Back

How's life? We are back in business here for another great cause. As many of you are now more than well aware, I am racing in the 2018 Ironman 70.3 in Edinburgh. What you won't know, is why, or even how I got there.

Now, I won't profess to knowing him all that well, or even having that much interaction with him, but Rob Brown has been the catalyst behind all of my physical endeavours for the past few years. Whilst my Dad and Liviu Fudulu have been the ones training and motivating me these past years, it was actually Rob who ended up pushing me over the edge and signing up for my first Marathon, my first Cycle Sportif and my first Triathlon.

I remember one time, just after a spin class with Livi, Rob and I were chatting away about the idea of me running a marathon. At this point, I really didn't like the idea. I complained, saying that it would be too painful, or too difficult. Rob was having none of it. He looked me dead in the eyes and said, 'You're a legend if you do it, a pussy if you don't.'.

3 marathons later, I was sat in my girlfriends flat when I got an email to say that entrance to Ironman 70.3 Edinburgh had opened, the phrase, 'You're a legend it you do it, a pussy if you don't' quickly shot through my mind, and before I knew it, I had entered the race.

A few days later, I had sadly discovered that he passed away after his three and a half year battle with cancer. He had been battling away by keeping fit and pursuing the Ironman challenge. If you don't mind me, I'll pick up where he left off thank you very much.

Now, as we all know, I've got a spanner loose in my head that comes up with all sorts of great ideas. So, in order to train for this Ironman, I've also set myself up for the following races for 'training'...

- Stirling Marathon 2018

- Nuclear Races Brentwood 2018

And as if that wasn't enough, I will of course be vlogging the whole series of events through my Youtube Channel. So keep an eye out for that!

Now, a quick word from Macmillan:

Thank you for choosing to support me and Macmillan Cancer Support. Just so you know, 30% of the sponsorship that I collect (up to the cost of my entry fee) will be reimbursed. This means that Macmillan receives 70% or more of my sponsorship.

Reimbursing 30% of my sponsorship (up to the cost of my entry fee) is a safe way of fundraising for the charity as it can be cheaper than the cost of a charity package! If you have any questions about my fundraising or why your donations may be used in this way, please don't hesitate to contact Macmillan directly at triathlon@macmillan.org.uk.

Thats all from me for now. Feel free to contact me and say hi and ask how I'm getting on. Thank you for your time and hopefully your donation.

Yours Faithfully,

Alexander J.S. Zemek-Parkinson.