Finally!! I'm an ironman!!

I'm really pleased to say that I finally became an ironman on my second attempt (24th July 2016 at the Outlaw in Nottingham - see http://www.onestepbeyond.org.uk/the-outlaw-triathlon.php). 

I came 959th out of 989!! So, I only beat 30 people but I also beat the cut-off this time - I got around in 15 hours 48 minutes (cut off was 17 hours).

Thanks so much for everyone's support and if you still want to donate to the Royal Marsden please do - its not too late!!

What happened in my first attempt?

I entered the Bolton Ironman on Sunday, July 19th 2015. I completed the 3.8km swim in Pennington Flash lake in 1 hour and 35 minutes and then headed off on my bike. Sadly I didn't get to finish the bike leg - I was stopped by the stewards with 6km to go (174 km) because I had just missed the cut off time for the run. I'm gutted because my legs still felt quite strong and I would have loved to try the marathon. So, after I've sulked a bit...I'll re-start my training and practice cycling much faster!!! 

Why do I want to complete an Ironman?

I am 49 years old so I guess its a straightforward mid-life crisis...and why not?! But I'm not only using the Ironman as a launch pad for my own fitness but also to learn from and raise money for the people at Royal Marsden. 

Part of my challenge is to raise £3000 for the Royal Marsden Hospital by Summer 2016. Some very generous people have already sponsored me but the real work starts now. And I am very lucky because Glebe School Council have kindly offered to help with a sponsored walk event on May 27th 2016.

The Royal Marsden is not only a world-leading cancer centre based here in London but one of their 

Children and Young Peoples Units is close by in Sutton. They do amazing educational work an we are hoping to form a strong relationship with them.

If you would like to donate through JustGiving it 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. So it’s the most efficient way to donate – saving time and cutting costs for the charity.