Even though we are a small charity, Harley Jae South helps in many ways such as providing magical, memory-making holidays for families to spend quality time together away from hospitals and provide respite from the difficult circumstances and realities of their lives. We also donate equipment for children's wards and hospices. Last year, we kitted out a sensory room for a school in a deprived area of central London, allowing children with special educational needs to access equipment that can help them developmentally and provide relaxation.

This year I embarked on a mission that required a drastic lifestyle change, relentless dedication and perseverance both mentally and physically.

My aim for 2022 was to learn the disciplines of triathlon. The idea being, I would go from being a non-swimmer and social cyclist to finishing a full Ironman in less than one year.  

In January, I started swimming lessons (after never being able to front crawl) and finished a 'super sprint' triathlon which consisted of a 400m swim (breast stoke), 10km bike, and 2.5km run. My journey continued, my training increased significantly and I built up the distances in my races until I finished the Dubai 70.3. This was a 1.9km swim, 90km bike and 21km run.

The full Ironman is double the 70.3 distance requiring me to travel 226km by swimming, cycling, and running. To put this in perspective this is further than the distance from London to Birmingham.

This final event is soon approaching at the end of November. I am nervous, particularly about the swim but I will give it a good go!

Harley Jae South was lucky enough to gain a ballot place in the London Marathon so this has been incorporated into my training and overall journey. It will also be a great insight into how my training has gone over the last 6 months.

I started this year thinking I was on my own but actually I couldn't have been more wrong. I have met some amazing people in my triathlon journey and made some very dear friends. None of this would have been possible without the support and knowledge of my coach Matt Dewhurst and the amazing community that have been relentlessly training with me in the middle of the night and early mornings, week after week for months on end. Thank you to you all for getting me this far.

Thank you for taking the time to read my story and to our loyal and dedicated supporters who have driven me and helped our cause in so many ways over the last few years.

Thank you to my friends and family. You rock as always, and are always behind my crazy ideas that keep my life pushing forward.

Most importantly, thank you to Harley. My boy is still my every reason and my why, with everything I do. Ten years have gone by but our bond gets stronger still as time passes.

If you'd like to learn more about the charity then please feel free to get in touch or visit 

www.hjsouth.uk

Warmest wishes to you and your loved ones,

Lucy and Harley Jae South xx