Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page. As some of you are aware, my sister Hayley was diagnosed with grade 3 breast cancer earlier this year. The diagnosis came out of the blue and was a total shock to us all. Like everyone else that has unfortunately been close to cancer you never expect that you'll have to hear those words from someone close to you, especially your sister who's only 3 years older than you!

Hayley has been so strong, positive and brave from the beginning, coping with the horrible chemotherapy side effects, an operation to remove her lympth nodes and the loss of her hair. All along she's kept her head up and a big smile on her face, such an inspiration.

So onto my challenge...Those of you who know me know I run, and run quite a bit, from parkruns to marathons. I've never fundraised or asked for sponsorship before and always said that if I did then it would be for a cause close to home and would have to be for a challenge that would push me out of my comfort zone. With Ironman Wales being dubbed as "having one of the most challenging bike and run courses on the IRONMAN calendar" and having never even done a triathlon before, I think it's safe to say this is definitely a challenge! The Ironman consists of a 2.4 mile swim (in the sea!) followed by a 112 mile bike ride then finishing with a marathon (26.2 miles), all to be completed within the 17hr time limit!

Fundraising is hugely important to Macmillan. Without people doing events, running marathons, climbing mountains, and donating in all the other ways that you can, Macmillan wouldn’t exist. 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.

Just so you know, 30% of the sponsorship that I collect (up to the cost of my entry fee) will be reimbursed. This means that Macmillan receives 70% or more of my sponsorship. Reimbursing 30% of my sponsorship (up to the cost of my entry fee) is a safe way of fundraising for the charity as it can be cheaper than the cost of a charity package! If you have any questions about my fundraising or why your donations may be used in this way, please don't hesitate to contact Macmillan directly at triathlon@macmillan.org.uk.