This summer I will be taking on 3 Ironman 70.3 races (Nice - 25th June, Swansea - 16th July and Nottingham - 3rd September). Each race involves a 2km open water swim, 90km bike and 21.1km run).

This year I lost another close friend to suicide, Honor Edwards. Honor and I went to Marlborough college for sixth form and we shared classes together as we were both heading down the Medicine route. Her smile and charisma would light up rooms and she often headed some pretty rogue tangents in biology class. Honor had just turned 20 and had run a marathon in Olly Chessher's memory whose life was also lost to suicide in late September of 2021. 

Honor's death was a massive shock and completely blindsided me, bringing up lots of unresolved grief with Olly, this led me into a bit of a spiral and for the first time in my life I can say my mental health was not in a good place. After having had a glimpse towards the darkness and the depth at which people can find themselves it has genuinely changed the way I think and feel as an individual and hope that I can now offer my help to those who are so desperately in need of help. 

I'm on the road to recovery and can see brighter times ahead, but what scares me is the hundreds of thousands of people who don't recover and can't find the light, and hence why things need to change. 

The fact that 1 in 3 people will use antidepressant medications throughout their life is a number that still makes my stomach turn, so much more needs to be done and we have to promote awareness. 

Last year I did Ironman Swansea 70.3 in memory of close friend, Olly Chesher and hope that I can do some justice to both Olly and Honor's memory with 3 Ironman 70.3s. I'm raising funds for Papyrus - a charity dedicated to the prevention of suicide in young people.

I look forward to the challenges ahead and more importantly breaking myself down mentally and physically through triathlon for a cause that has grown so close to my heart.

Check in on a mate. 

Paddy.