Dear Friends,

While some of you know I enjoy running (and have kindly donated in the past), I've decided to (attempt to) take on a full Ironman event in June in Austria to raise funds for "U-Go". The full event entails a 3.8km swim, followed by a 180km bike ride, then a marathon (42km) to round things out.

Why should I consider donating?

1/ U-Go is an incredible charity: U-Go helps ambitious and promising young women in low-income countries to pursue higher education by providing financial scholarships (https://ugouniversity.org/). Through the structure of local partnerships U-Go is able to fund a year of education for $800 per student.

2/ General inability to swim: I've never swum the full distance required for the race (although am planning to attempt it soon). Front crawl feels like it may be a stretch, so the 3.8km will likely be some combination of doggie paddle, breast stroke, and front crawl.

3/ Its a long day out: While some other events are typically 3-4 hours, the day itself should be anywhere from 10 hours+ of exercise which has required a significant amount of training and preparation. This is going to be a real challenge!

Thank you for considering donating and let me know if you have any questions.

Sam xx