Neil's Long Course Wales Sponsorship Page

Thanks for taking the time to visit my fundraising page. I have chosen Cancer Research as a cause close to my heart. I lost my mother, Christine Atkinson in 1996 at the age of 51 to lung cancer. In 2008 my father in law, Jeremy Burke lost his 8 year battle with prostate cancer. At present my work colleague and friend, Kathy Farr, has been diagnosed with breast and liver cancer and is currently undergoing treatment. Unfortunately, over the years many other relatives and friend's parents have also succumbed to this dreadful disease. Cancer is happening right now, which is why I’m fundraising right now for Cancer Research UK. There’s no time to lose! Donate to my page today and help bring forward the day when all cancers are cured. From Friday 5th July - Sunday 7th July I will be in Tenby, competing in Long Course Wales, one of the most gruelling Ironman triathlons in the UK. Unusually the events are split over three days but this does not make it any easier and merely presents a new set of challenges. Sorting out aches and pains from the previous day's event will become key, as will fuelling properly to avoid hitting the wall. It all kicks off on the evening of Friday 5th July with a 2.4 mile sea swim. This comprises two 1.2 mile loops with a 100m race along the beach between the laps. This will be particularly challenging as my sea swimming experience is minimal. Sea sickness, shoals of jellyfish and surprisingly, vertigo are all problems which I could encounter. The bike is on Saturday and follows the infamous 112mile Ironman Wales bike course. Widely regarded as the most brutal of all Ironman cycles in the UK, the route involves over 2000m of climbing comprising 76 individual hills. If this isn't bad enough the Welsh weather can present further problems if " heartbreak hill " in Saundersfoot, and time cut-offs haven't already ruined your day! I have never covered 112m over this kind of terrain before and expect it to be the most difficult cycle I have ever attempted. The event is rounded off on Sunday with the 26.2 m Wales Marathon, again one of the most challenging courses around due to a proliferation of hills. A medal is awarded for finishing each event within the time cut-offs and a coveted fourth medal is awarded for completing all three. Only just over 50% of athletes receive the fourth medal which is testimony to the difficulty of the challenge.