This year I lost one of my oldest and dearest friends Cloe to Cancer. Cloe had fought this dreadful disease with bravery, humour and dignity for over 3 years. One year after being given the 'all clear' the fateful news came that in fact it hadn't left her and she was given just 6 months to live, the day I discovered this news will be one I will never forget. Cloe was a fighter, extremely resilient and more than anything else she was incredibly brave and this is shown by the fact that she surpassed medical expectations and continued to fight for 12 months not 6, truly living up to her nick name 'Hercules'!! We lost Cloe in February just 10 days before her 32nd birthday. 

 
So, along with my good friend Adrian Barbrooke we have decided to go to one of Cloe's favourite places on earth, Alpe D'huez. We will compete in a gruelling triathlon, widely regarded to be one of the toughest short distance triathlons in the world, where I hope to raise as much money as possible for St Nicholas Hospice, the place that took such great care of Cloe and her family in her final months. 
 
Cloe, Adrian and I have enjoyed a close, loving and enduring friendship for many years. In our (often alcohol fuelled) hey day, we decided between us that we needed a moniker that would truly represent who we were. So, naturally, we decided upon mythological God names: Cloe was 'Hercules', Adrian was 'Thor' and I was 'Zeus'. We were satisfied that these names did justice to our superhuman powers of matching each other drink for drink (not sure if any of us were God like on the many mornings after!). 
 
Last August whilst Adrian and I were at a fundraising event "Little Legs" organised by Cloe and her family and friends, we made a pact that we would enter the 2012 Alpe D'huez triathlon together. At that time I was fairly new to the world of triathlon, but I had got the taste for it so when Adrian told me about it, I couldn't wait to sign up. 
 
For Adrian, the Alpe D'huez triathlon is especially poignant and significant as in 2009, whilst Cloe was battling her illness, he travelled out there with Cloe, her young son Eddie, partner Guy, Sister Polly and Brother-In-Law Tom. They spent a wonderful week together in the Alps whilst Adrian completed the triathlon. This was his first ever triathlon and he had been inspired to do it to raise money for Cloe's chosen charity and in recognition of her brave struggle with cancer. That first triathlon three years ago set Adrian on a path and since then he has twice represented Great Britain in this wonderful sport. (Not really fancying my chances against him!) 

So in memory of our dear friend we are going back to where it all started for Adrian. As previously mentioned, this is one of the hardest short distance races in the world, and the 5 triathlons that I have raced in over the last year are no match for what is waiting for me in the Alps. We'll be swimming 1,200m in a lake, cycling 30km (15km of those UP a sharp gradient to a height of 2000m, known as the 21 bends made famous by the Tour de France) and then running 7kms at the top.

 
We are therefore asking you to dig deep, very deep, for the yin and the yang, the commiseration and the celebration, the life and death that is a result of this dreadful disease. 
 
 For Cloe with love, who we miss so much.