Ironman 70.3 & Ultra Marathon- Double Challenge

I am doing a double extreme challenge within 2 weeks of each other consisting of Ironman 70.3, my first triathlon followed by my first Ultra Marathon in Snowdonia to raise funds and awareness for The Azaylia Foundation.

For those that have supported my fundraising efforts over the years, will know that every year i set my sights on a challenge to raise money in the name of my dad, who I lost suddenly due to pancreatic cancer.

My father was passionate about fitness, and would always support me in everything I did. Growing up my dad would take me to the gym, travel with me for football and take me all over the country training and fighting in martial arts. We were much more than father and son, we were best friends. He taught me to lead by example, work hard, and to always push my self to be the best I can be.

My dad went in to hospital following a routine hernia operation, after feeling discomfort and pain. The following day was a day that changed my life forever. I went in to visit him in hospital, expecting the usual joking around, to be faced with my sister and mother sat by his bed crying. My dad sat me down and told me the words that no one ever wants to hear.

"I have stage 4 pancreatic cancer, the Drs have advised I have 6 months to live"

My world shattered around me. Unknown to us at the time was that my father would never walk out of the hospital again. Within the following 72 hours, we were all sat around his bed, holding his hand as we watched him take his last breaths.

The sudden Loss of my father devastated our entire family and left us with a huge hole.

As time past I decided that I would raise money for cancer charities around the world in honour of my dad, to help keep his spirit alive and to help others in their time of need. Over the years I have done this by completing various challenges, that have slowly become more difficult and demanding on my body. I have always wanted to really push myself to see what I can achieve, and one of the reasons why I have decided on doing these two events in quick succession of each other.

At the point of writing (December) I currently have never done a triathlon, do not own a bike and cannot swim efficiently. Ironman has been something I have always admired and wanted to set some serious goals for 2024, that will push me out of my comfort zone. So I had the silly idea of completing my home town Triathlon followed by a 57km trail run up Snowdon, the tallest mountain in Wales to help raise funds and awareness for the Azaylia Foundation.

The Azaylia Foundation provides funds to a highly underfunded area, that focuses on childhood cancer. These funds help to develop new technologies, provide vital research as well as paying for additional equipment required in the field.

A lot of people can relate to the devastation that cancer can cause to families, as i have experienced first hand. One thing that I cannot accept is children also having their lives stripped away from them before they have had a chance to enjoy it. This breaks my heart.

My daughters, are growing, and I want to instil in them from an early age, that it is vitally important to give back, to help others in their time of need and that nothing in life comes easy or without hard work. If you want achieve something, with hard work, effort and dedication, nothing is impossible.

The pain that I will feel during these challenges is nothing in comparison to what these children are going through on a daily basis.

If you want to join me in making a difference and raising money in aid of The Azaylia Foundation, every donation will help. Nothing is too small. Thank you in advance for your contribution to this cause that means so much to me.

For reference the challenge consist of the following:

Ironman 70.3 - 30th June Bolton.

1900m open water swim / 90km bike / 21.1km run

Ultra Trail Marathon - 14th July Snondonia.

57km / 7200 ft elevation gain