Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

On 2 June 2013 I will be taking on a half iron man - a 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile cycle, 13.1 mile run - as a way to remember an amazing friend and raise money for a fantastic charity.

I first met Chris at Durham University and have so many happy memories from a decade of friendship - from nights in the college bar, to birthdays, skiiing trips, surfing in Cornwall and camping in the Peaks. He was an incredible friend and the most determined person I've ever known. In all aspects of his life he was always looking for bigger, tougher challenges, which he invariably approached with passion and determination. This passion ultimately led Chris to complete a full iron man, shortly before he tragically passed away in October last year.

It is Chris's determination to take on such challenges that led me to want to join 'Team Bygate' and take on a challenge of my own. To put it in perspective, when we signed up for this in November I hadn't been in a pool with anything but a lilo since school, and hadn't sat on a road bike since, well, ever. Training for this triathlon is then quite an undertaking but rest assured I've been putting in the hours to get me there. And if at any point I start to flag I have Chris's famous words, 'zip up your man-suit' ringing in my ears!

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. So it’s the most efficient way to donate – saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

I'm doing this alongside a fantastic group of similarly inspired people and all the pages on 'Team Bygate' are linked so it doesn't matter which you donate to - it all goes to the same brilliant charity. The team page is http://www.justgiving.com/teams/TeamBygate. So please dig deep and donate now!

Many thanks,

Paul