Story
The Zurich Ironman Triathlon 2009- 3.8km swim, 180km cycle, 42km run
In 2008 a group of 11 athletic novices completed 2 marathons and a 300 mile cycle in one week and in doing so raised nearly £120,000 for Cancer Research UK. In 2009, a smaller group of that 2 Cities Challenge team (we had a few no shows and injury withdrawals) decided a new challenge was in order...an ironman triathlon. We signed ourselves up for the Swiss Ironman to be held in Zurich on July 12. For those not familar with it, an ironman triathlon requires each athlete to swim 3.8km, then take off their wetsuit and cycle 180km (112 miles), and finish off the day with a 42.2 km run (the full marathon distance). All being well, the event should take about 13 to 16 hours, with the swim normally being about 1.5 hours, the cycle 7 hours and then however long it takes to drag your body around the marathon course. There are some mad people out there that do this kind of thing regularly; we are novices (to the point where 3 of the 5 doing it could not swim 50 metres when we signed up for the event 10 months ago.
Please take the time to read about our challenge and the charity we are supporting - we hope you will want to support the children of the Rwenzori with us.
Behind the scenes...Since September of last year it would be an understatement to say we've spent hour after hour training to prepare ourselves to try making the finish line in July. Early weekend cycles lasting 5 hours or more followed by even earlier morning swim sessions and lessons coupled with hours in the gym on the treadmill and the bike. We hope that the last 10 months won't be in vain - that we reach the finish line and at the same time raise funds for the Rwenzori children.
The Children and the Charity...Please visit the website for full details of the trust, the children, related community projects and some background on the beautiful Rwenzori mountains of Western Uganda. www.rwenzoritrust.org.
The Rwenzori Trust supports children in Western Uganda in their education. There are currently 35 children being supported through secondary school, and with your help, the Trust intends to also provide scholarships for promising pupils to continue their education, on academic or vocational courses. The Trust believes that education is the best way to give the next generation opportunities to allow them to be less reliant on the land, participate better in the modern world and be more aware of their rights and heritage. The Trust works closely with the local community and parents in Uganda: parents match funding with the Trust (in the ratio 30/70), and up to 30 per cent. of funds raised by the Trust are invested in community projects that benefit all the local population (including supporting a local income-generating tourism project).