The Brutal Triathlon was voted by Triathlon 220 Magazine as 'the world's toughest Ironman', and on September 15th I'll be racing it.  I'm raising money for Mind, the mental health charity, because we all know someone touched by mental health issues. An old friend of mine took his own life earlier this year. I wish he'd asked for help, and Mind is there to provide that help.

The Brutal is so called for a reason. A 2.4 mile swim in Lake Padarn (probably very cold), followed by a 116 mile, 4 lap bike ride encircling Snowdon, including 4 climbs of Pen-Y-Pass and totalling almost 10,000 feet of climbing. And to round it off, a little marathon – 3 laps of Lake Padarn and then, if you're still deemed fit and able, an ascent and descent of Snowdon, highest mountain in Wales.

I did the half-ironman version last year and it took me over 8 hours (my usual time for a half is 5:30).  This year I'm hoping for a nice quick 17 hours of non-stop racing.

Mind helps an awful lot of people, and your donations will help them help many more. Please consider donating. Thanks!