On 17 November 2011, Andre Jones, my Dad, passed away from a sudden heart attack at the age of 55. I’ve been through some pretty dark days since then, but through the support of my family and my incredible friends, I’ve been able to get back on my feet and piece my life back together. Friends like the three Tom’s (Moat, Lyonette and Valente) have helped me more than they’ll ever know, and now, with each other for support, we plan to complete Ironman Wales on September 16 2012 as a tribute to my dear old Dad.

It is probably now that I should mention that none of us are by ANY measure “endurance athletes”. I myself, flirting dangerously with the upper end of the bathroom scales, and none of us having ever swum any distance in the sea, bear in mind over 2 miles off the Welsh coast!

For those of you that aren’t familiar with the agony of an Ironman Triathlon, it consists of a 2.4 mile swim, followed straight away by a hilly 112 mile bike ride before capping it all off with a full 26.2 mile marathon. As if this weren’t hard enough, it all has to be finished within 17 hours, or it doesn’t even count!

So why are we raising money for the RNLI? Dad was a mariner his whole life, and had the utmost respect for the sea and the RNLI for the work they do. In fact, it was the only charity that he truly supported for his whole life, and it was something he was truly passionate about. This may well stem from him being rescued by their lifeboat crews while in distress at a sea on more than one occasion! The RNLI are a truly fantastic cause, with no government funding. They rely solely on these generous donations to operate and keep the coastline of our country safe. If we could reach our target of £5000, we would be able to fund kit for one whole lifeboat crew, which would undoubtedly result in countless saved lives.

So, please do dig deep here! This is about remembering a great man that played a huge part in mine and many other people’s lives. It is also about working towards a cause he was genuinely passionate about. Finally, and most importantly in light everything, this is about showing everyone that when everything seems to be falling apart in your life, there IS hope for the future and ANYTHING can be achieved in life if you want it badly enough. 

Please do go ahead and check out our facebook page https://www.facebook.com/groups/186134988173950/ for all of our photos, videos and updates in the months leading up to the event!

Thank you all so much for your support; this is a healing process, and one I’m humbled for you to be part of.

 

Matt Jones

 

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