The Idea:
You should all know that I like a good challenge. This year I think I have bitten off more than I can chew. Last year, I managed to do a 100 mile cycle (my first cycle race). The year before I completed my first ever marathon. This year I decided to combine those, with an additional 12 miles on the bike ride and a 2.4 mile swim as a little warm up..... At least that is how the thinking went in my head. Now with what seems like a very short time to go reality is setting in and, naturally, I am getting a little nervous. The torture that I have signed myself up for is an "unofficial" Ironman; specifically the Cologne 226 triathlon (226 being to total distance covered in kilometers and the equivalent of London to Sheffield as the crow flies ).

To prepare for this I have a couple of events lined up which I would also appreciate a little support for before the big day:

• 17-July: Fambridge Yacht Haven (half Ironman triathlon)
• 31-July: Prudential Ride London ( 100 mile cycle)
• 04-Sept: Cologne 226 Triathlon (The Big Day!)

This is where I own up to the slight oversight that I made when signing up to this: Firstly, I am not the best swimmer in the world, I sink like a stone and I much prefer splashing around than doing lengths, who doesn't? Secondly, I have never done a triathlon and the last swimming race I did was in school. In short, if I don't drown in the first 2.4 miles I should probably make it... but it is not going to be pretty and I am certainly not going to be setting any world records.

The Cause:
I raise money for one charity a year and I am very selective on this. Some of you might think that the IRT (International Refugee Trust) is a very different choice for me but here is my reasoning.

If I think back to the days of watching Lizo on Newsround, refugees crises were often the main stories with civil wars raging across Africa; the second Sudanese Civil War was a conflict from 1983 to 2005,  Sierra Leone Civil War spanned 1991 to 2002 & the Algerian Civil War the same (1991 to 2002) and comes with the side note conflict still persisting. These are just a few. The truth is, we (currently still) in Europe had started to become immune to the news of mass migrations and refugees crises around the world. However, in the last couple of years we have had a bit of a wake up call! IRT didn't need that wake up call and hasn't forgotten about the stories we heard from Lizo all those years ago and in these places IRT are still providing a huge amount of support.

IRT, as a charity, is well established having been founded in 1989 and with a focused approach on a small number of countries and projects that continue over years if not decades. The money raised on this page I have pledged to the South Sudan projects and specifically 'Skills Training For The Future'. Helping people get the skills to help themselves, and more importantly others, is for me one of the most important parts of charity and clearly something that IRT does very well. If, like me, you need to read up on a charity before donating rather than taking my word for how good they are and what they do then all the links are below.

www.irt.org.uk/
www.irt.org.uk/projects/skills-training-for-the-future/
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lizo_Mzimba

www.koelntriathlon.de/
www.prudentialridelondon.co.uk/events/100/
www.dengieevents.co.uk/#/fambridge-yacht-haven-tri/4543261097

Thanks for reading this and thanks for any support.

James