I've always wanted to do a triathlon but never been brave enough to give it a go, so when this bike/hike/kayak triathlon popped up on social media, it felt like the Universe was telling me something… or maybe Tara is just very good at making me believe that I can?! This seemed like the perfect challenge for 2026… but now that we’ve signed up, we’re questioning our sanity! Neither of us has a suitable bike and I’m not sure my already battered toenails from last year’s challenges will survive another one?!

Tara keeps telling me it’ll be fine… but we all know that she’s a bit of a nutter when it comes to sports challenges…

We’ll be setting off at sunrise on Sunday 26th April to bike/hike/kayak round a challenging course on the South Downs to try to beat the sun before it sets!

We'll start off with a 31 mile bike ride - which may seem like nothing to some of you, but for context: I’ve not ridden my old mountain bike in over 12 years and Tara’s still trying to find an allen key to raise the saddle on the bike she’s pinched off her son. This will be followed by an 11 mile hike (in the interests of transparency, neither of us are particularly worried about this bit, though my toenails (have I already mentioned them?!) have a penchant for becoming detached mid-hike, so that's something to look forward to.) After this is a 2 mile kayak - which WILL BE FINE although it turns out that Tara is actually very scared of boats and hasn't tried kayaking since an ill-fated incident in a canoe in France (I must ask her about this…) I’ve only kayaked for fun with the kids once in my life (I haven’t told Tara this - she currently thinks I’m an expert).

However, it will all be worth it! Together, we are aiming to raise £1000 for Action Medical Research, a children's charity who has spent over 70 years funding vital research to help defeat the diseases that devastate the lives of sick and disabled babies, children, and young people.

By supporting our team you will be helping to find ways to reduce premature birth, to support children facing a lifetime of challenges caused by disabilities, and to develop cutting-edge therapies for rare and incurable diseases.