Up until last year, I considered myself a retired GB gymnast, that had long ago hung up her handguards. It wasn't until a friend mentioned that he was doing a triathlon that I thought, 'why not give that a go?'. Despite a couple of mishaps, it appeared that I was quite good at this and a fellow trainer and coach suggested that with some structured training, I could possibly qualify for the World Champs. ..

It hasn't always been easy training during the past 4 months; snow, punctures and getting into the open water at 10 degrees has been just a few of the challenges that I've had to overcome. The race itself was one of the hardest things I've done in a long time. Words from friends such as 'you shouldn't have anything left in the tank by the end' and 'this will be the hardest race you've done' were going through my head as I made my way around the course. They were not wrong. However, the final result has made it all worthwhile, as I will once again be representing GB at the Gold Coast in Australia in September!

The money I raise will go towards flights, accommodation and kit as well as further coaching and physio etc which will be needed over the next few months in order to keep me together in the run up to the big day.