Hi folks!

As some of you may know, I am training to do an IronMan triathlon on 5th of October this year near Barcelona.

As well as trying to prove I am not over the hill by swimming, cycling and running a total of 226km (141 miles - or roughly the distance between London and Cardiff) I am also hoping to raise some money for The Birth Partners Project - an organisation my mum has been volunteering with for many years - which provides support to refugee and asylum seeking women who would otherwise face giving birth alone.

I am reaching out to people for sponsorship. But please don’t feel obliged! Its totally up to you.

What is an IronMan? IronMan is a long distance triathlon. It involves a 3.8km sea swim (2.4 Mile, the equivalent of 76 lengths of an olympic pool or the distance to the Isle of White and back), a 180km bike ride (112 miles or roughly London to Birmingham), followed by a marathon (42km, or 26 mile run). I estimate it will take me around 13 hours in total (if i finish!) with the only breaks being to change in between disciplines and to grab some energy gels or liquid at the aid stations.

What is Birth Partners? The Birth Partners Project is a Cardiff based charity that provides volunteer birth partners to refugee and asylum seeker women who would otherwise face pregnancy, birth and early motherhood alone. Volunteers, like my mum, provide mothers with support before, during and after the birth, helping them navigate maternity services and providing them with practical and emotional support. These women have often fled incredibly difficult circumstances and lack a social support network in the UK. I can only imagine how important this must be in the current anti-refugee climate. The charity operates on a small budget relying heavily on volunteer support, their only overheads are a handful of paid staff and very limited expenses. They will greatly appreciate any money raised.

My training has been 6 days a week since spring and currently takes about 20 hours. I will be putting together a little newsletter each week to update you on my prep over the next few weeks, and if you are really keen you can also follow all the gory details on my Strava.

Thanks for reading!