I did it! 6hrs and 9 mins later! It was certainly a huge challenge -I had deep concerns the weeks and days leading up to the Ironman, my ankle was painful to walk on in Antwerp - so spent the three days before just keeping it up icing it. 

The swim went well - actually enjoyed it - even though other swimmers swam under/over me. once I got my rthym I then start overtaking overs (without swimming over/under them!). felt great coming out of the swim. The bike went well - its a long way out of town - up to the docks and up near the border, then repeating nearly the whole thing again! bit windy and a little rainy but could have been so much worse. after 3hrs 20 mins got off the bike for what I considered to be my biggest challenge - and it was. The first 10k of the run was not so bad but the ankle was struggling and the cobbles on some parts of the runs was definately not helping. still, managed to get 'round and found plenty of support from fellow runners.

Such a relief to finish!

Im nearly there with my £1000 target to Sparkes - so fingers crossed we can get it there.

Thank you to everyone who sponsored me and sent me such great messages of support.

xxx

 

 

 

On July 25th I will be taking part in the Antwerp 70.3 Ironman race. Swimming 1.2 miles in open water, Cycling 56 miles and running 13.1 miles. I have been in training since the beginning of the year and now its only a month away - so Im looking to my family and friends to support me by giving whatever you can spare, no matter how small, to one (or both!) of my chosen charities. This page is set up for Sparkes Home Sri Lanka - my other charity - Trinity Hospice can be found at www.justgiving.com/donnabakerantwerpironman

Sparkes Home was set up by one of Gus' teachers and her family. I was so touched by the effort and commitment they put into setting up and maintaining this home for girls aged 6 and up whose lives have been affected by the Tsunami and Civil War in Sri Lanka. Your donation, will make a huge difference to this very small but very special charity.

Here are a few words from one of the trustees:

The Sparkes Home, a home for 40 girls on the east coast of Sri Lanka, was set up as a direct result of the tsunami. The Sparkes family have history going back for four generations in Sri Lanka and they wanted desperately to help in some small way. The girls in the home are either victims of the tsunami, victims of the recent civil war  or from families who are so poor they cannot afford to keep them. The home is run by the Methodist church who run similar homes all over the country.  The home is fully dependent on funds from the Sparkes Home Sri Lanka ( registered charity 1128189). Funds are sent each month and at least one of the trustees visits every 6 months.  There are absolutely no running costs and every penny donated goes to the Home. Please visit the website:

www.sparkeshome.co.uk

Thank you so much

Donna

x

 

 

Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

So please dig deep and donate now.