We are excited about taking part in our first sprint triathlon.  So why did three mum's from Wanborough decide to take on a challenge in tight lycra with dripping wet hair and panda eyes ?  The answer is that humiliating though it may be it, is nothing compared to the battle we have all had to face with cancer in the last 12 months and research gives us hope for the future.

Michelle lost her mum in September 2009 after an 18 month battle with pancreatic cancer.  We all fondly remember her as the lady with the "big smile, warm heart and great courage". 

In 2009 Liz was diagnosed with bowel cancer and in the past year has had surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy.  Liz's Mum, Kay also had breast cancer and is thankfully now in remission but her very good friends Sarah and Dan are still bravely and determinedly fighting a daily battle with cancer that has been incredibly difficult.

Jo tragically lost a close relative to Leukaemia at a young age and has already raised money with several long distance runs.

Each of us has realised that there is so much more we need to understand about cancer to make advances in the fight against it and to avoid the devastating effect it has on people's lives.  Therefore, we decided to enter the Henley-on-Thames Sprint Triathlon in aid of Cancer Research UK on 13th June 2010.  We will be swimming 400m, cycling 25km and running 5km (in that order!).

To achieve completion of the course we have channeled our energy over the last year into the triathlon.  This has also given us the mental and physical strength to deal with the daily uncertainty of living with the affects of cancer on our lives.  For Liz maintaining physical exercise has been of paramount importance.  Not only did it aid her recovery from her treatment (she started training 6 weeks after surgery and continued throughout her treatment) but research has shown that regular exercise can help prevent a recurrence of cancer.  Last week she had a scan showing that there has been no recurrence so far but research gives her hope that if there ever was a recurrence we may have discovered new ways of treating and possibly curing cancer.

However hard the triathlon challenge has been, it is nothing compared to the challenges people suffering from cancer have to face every day.  Let us remember what they do face and Please make a donation to Cancer Research UK today in the hope that we can ease the challenges for cancer sufferers now and in the future. 

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

So please dig deep and donate now.