On 12 February 2011 I will be competing in the Coast-to-Coast, a 243km endurance race traversing the South Island of New Zealand from the Tasman Sea in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It involves 140kms of cycling, 36km of running (including crossing the Southern Alps) and a 67km kayak of the grade two Waimakariri River through the Grand Canyon of New Zealand, the Waimakariri Gorge. And of course all in one day.

 

Sounds tough? I expect it will be.

 

I am undertaking this challenge in memory of my twin brother Jeremy who as some of you will know sadly died over four years ago, and to raise funds for the charity set up in his name.

 

Jeremy died of new variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD), the human form of BSE (also known as mad-cow disease). He was extremely unlucky - to date less than 200 people are known to have contracted vCJD worldwide. He was reduced from an incredibly active, outgoing and successful person to not being able to walk, remember, eat or speak or see before he eventually died.

 

My brother was a great adventurer and athlete. His approach was always to live life to the full. He achieved more in his short 30 years than most would expect to do in a whole lifetime, and inspired and encouraged others to achieve things they did not think they were able to do. It is in this spirit that I am doing this.

 

His charity helps fund people and projects that reflect his passions in life: helping young and disabled athletes and explorers, conserving mountain and ocean environments, and ground-breaking expeditions to remote areas of the world. You can find out more at www.jwct.org.uk.

 

I appreciate that there are so many worthwhile causes out there and there's only so much you can give but if you're inspired by what I'm doing please contribute what you can.

 

Matt