----Update-----

Sooner than expected after the half Ironman, we signed up for and completed the full on 18/08/2019 in Copenhagen!

This was a 3.8km swim, 180km bike and a 42km (marathon) run to finish.

Josh Swim 🏊 58mins Bike 🚲5.45 Run 🏃 4.31 Total 11.28 🏅

Mike Swim 🏊 1.17 Bike 🚲 6.43 Run 🏃♂ 4.45 Total 12.58 🏅

Both finished well ahead of target times!

Whilst we did not push for fundraising before the event, any further donations would be really appreciated!

------Original Text -----

In mid-June, we decided to enter the Ironman 70.3 event in Cascais, Portugal on the 30^th September this year. This involves a 1.9km swim, 90km cycle followed a 21km run

Having never entered a triathlon before and limited swimming and cycling experience, this has been somewhat of a challenge to train for (thanks to Mike's brother Liam for lending his bike!), particularly around work, sporting and social commitments. With most training plans requiring a minimum 6mth Training period – going from zero to hero in half this time was going to be a massive effort for both of us.

We are now just 6 weeks away from the event at the end of September and we are hoping to raise some much needed funds for a charity of particular importance to us.

As a child Mike was diagnosed with a Wilm's tumour, which led to having a kidney removed and long bouts of chemotherapy. Mike was treated at Southampton General Hospital and looked after by the Piam Brown  Children’s ward, and made a full recovery.

The Southampton Oncology unit is one of only 12 regional cancer  centres in the UK, serving a population of 1.7m. Cancer care is one of the Trust's key services. The unit is a leader in cancer research and  treatment development. Up to 500 patients each year take part in national and international trials, giving them access to new drugs before they Become widely available.

The Southampton Children’s Hospital is the sixth-largest children’s hospital in the country and is one of only four which provides all specialist services on one site. It treats 150,000 children each year from across the UK and is at the forefront of children’s medicine and care.

We aim to raise as much money as possible to benefit these causes by helping to fund research and education, enhancing children’s experience in what is a traumatic time, and to fund state of the art specialist equipment to help detect cancers early and treat patients across the region.

We really appreciate any donations received - and will let you know how we get on in the race! 

Any questions please do drop either of us a note,

Thank you for your support

Mike & Josh