I've always quite liked the idea of a triathlon but never been brave enough to give it a go, so when this bike/hike/kayak triathlon popped up on my feed it piqued my interest. Despite a couple of minor inconveniences (such as not owning a bike and having an irrational fear of boats), this seemed like the perfect challenge for 2026.

Carine and I will be setting off at sunrise on Sunday 26th April to hike/bike/kayike round a challenging course on the South Downs to try to beat the sun!

We'll start off with a 33 mile bike ride - which may seem like nothing to some of you, but will probably seem like quite a lot to us as Carine is dusting 12 years' worth of cobwebs off her old mountain bike as I type, and I'm still trying to find an allen key to raise the saddle on the bike I've pinched off my son. This will be followed by a 10 mile hike. (In the interests of transparency, neither of us are particularly worried about this, though Carine's toenails have a penchant for becoming detached mid-hike, so that's something for her to look forward to.) After this is a 2 mile kayak - which WILL BE FINE although I am actually very scared of boats and haven't tried kayaking since an ill-fated incident in a canoe in France. I expect Carine is a brilliant kayaker, I haven't asked her.

However, it will all be worth it! Together, we are aiming to raise £1000 for Action Medical Research, a children's charity who has spent over 70 years funding vital research to help defeat the diseases that devastate the lives of sick and disabled babies, children, and young people.

By supporting our team you will be helping to find ways to reduce premature birth, to support children facing a lifetime of challenges caused by disabilities, and to develop cutting-edge therapies for rare and incurable diseases.

You'll also be keeping us motivated along the way, and if you donate more than £50 Carine might send you a photo of her toenails :)

Thank you so much for your support.