To raise money and awareness for Hamemochromatosis UK, I, a previously short, fat and nerdy asthmatic kid who cried off cross-country every year, am running the Venice-Jesolo 70.3 Ironman race in May 2025.

Haemochromatosis UK are the UK's leading charity for Haemochromatosis. The charity funds research into the condition while arranging various educational activities both for patients and for doctors/nurses who don't see the condition that frequently.

My story:

In late 2017, I was diagnosed with haemochromatosis - a genetically inherited blood condition which means my body absorbs too much iron.

With haemochromatosis, as excess iron builds up in the blood, it gets transported to and deposited on various organs throughout the body. If not caught early enough, this can lead to organ scarring and significant health complications such as joint pains, chronic fatigue, liver disease, heart disease, brain disease and diabetes. Haemochromatosis can exist without any symptoms and is often not discovered until it is too late. If treated early, those with Haemochromatosis can live normal lives.

It is a genetic condition caused by mutations of two different genes: C282Y and H63D. The condition is recessive and will occur if an individual has two C282Y mutations, two H63D mutations or one of each mutation. The different combinations lead to different presentations of the disease with double C282Y mutations resulting in the most significant form and rate of iron overload.

Haemochromatosis is most prevalent in those of us from a Celtic background (often dubbed “The Celtic Curse”) but can affect anyone. In the UK, haemochromatosis genes are carried by about:

1 in 150 people in England & Wales.

1 in 113 people in Scotland.

1 in 10 people in Northern Ireland.

The absence of symptoms and the different rates of iron loading caused by the different forms of the disease means the condition is under diagnosed. The condition needs more research and a lot of education to ensure that those with (or at risk of developing) the condition know about the signs early to start treatment.

There is currently no cure for haemochromatosis. The symptoms are treated by a procedure called a venesection - the removal of blood from the body (similar to giving blood). The removal of blood forces the body to use excess iron to build new red blood cells and regenerate the body's blood levels.

When I was first diagnosed, I went to the hospital once per week for 10 weeks to give blood and get my iron levels under control. Now that my levels are at a maintenance level, I go to the hospital once every 10 weeks and have a bag of blood removed. Otherwise, it’s pretty well managed and I’m lucky that I caught it early.

If you'd like to follow along with my struggles, I’ve created this instagram to chronicle my struggles with training: @overloadedironman

#Ironmandoeshalfironman #middledistance #70.3

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