Earlier this year I decided to complete three challenges for charity. I have completed the mountain climb up Mount Toubkal and the Blenheim Triathlon and the last challenge, the 100 mile cycle from Oxford, is just around the corner on 17th September....but how did it all start?

Well in 2012 Chris Bruce convinced me to take part in my first triathlon, I did a 40k cycle leg in the London Docklands triathlon and it was the start of a mammoth effort to try and lose weight again, combat the onset of Type 2 diabetes and try and inject some long deserted fitness in my mid-50’s beaten up old body. In 2014 I successfully completed the Thames Challenge for Thomsons, cycling over 100 miles along the
river from Oxford to London.

So what to do in 2016? Well initially I thought I might just enter the Blenheim triathlon and rekindle that intrepid trio of flotsam and jetsam known as “The Odd Treble” to ride again. As it is a team relay event I cycle, my old friend Amarjit Singh runs and we recruited a newbie, Wade “The Seal” Edwards, as our lake swimmer.


All seemed fine until one night last September when then was a dramatic shift to the plan! On the night of my 57th birthday I went to a charity dinner, run by my good buddy Jason Leonard, England Rugby’s most capped player with 114 caps, current RFU President and all round good guy. It was in favour of the Atlas Foundation - Jason’s own
charity. Atlas works through a network of Rugby Champions, like Jason and Philippe Sella, who identify projects that relieve human suffering and disadvantage in their countries. It improves people’s lives regardless of age, gender, sexuality, race or religion and funds both UK and overseas rugby projects, providing pitches, coaches and teachers for the poorest communities in the
world.

That night, surrounded (and encouraged it must be said) by a dozen friends and family, and clearly encouraged further by several gin and tonics, and perhaps a glass or two too many of vino, I found myself bidding in the live auction to join Jason on a little stroll in May up Mount Toubkal the tallest of the Atlas mountains, chosen of course because of the charity name.

And that’s about all I remember of the evening, until my wife reminded me the next morning... I hate walking almost anywhere that takes a long time and I have dodgy knees that doesn’t help either and here I was going on a 4 day trek up a mountain. Sheer madness!

OK I know it’s only 13,665 feet high, it not exactly Everest, but then I am not exactly Bear Grylls either!

Having signed up for the climb up Mount Toubkal in May, and the Blenheim Triathlon in June, Thomsons decided to replay the Thames Challenge this September so - in for a penny, in for a pound so of course - I agreed to cycle 10 miles along the river from Oxford to London - and that is how I now find myself going for glory in not one, not two but three BIG charity events that make up Michael’s 2016 Triple Challenge!

I started out looking to raise £20,000 in total, which will be split equally with £10,000 going to Jason Leonard’s Atlas Foundation and £10,000 going to Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children (GOSH).

As of September 9th (my 58th birthday :-) ) I have reached just over £19,000 with £8,400 already for Atlas and £10,700 for GOSH so with just over 1 week left I need about a £1000 on the Mount Toubkal charity page to hit my target. As I am attending the dinner with Jason Leonard again on 21st September it would be nice to attend that evening having hit my target in full.

I have already talked about Jason’s charity and for GOSH, as a company Thomsons Online Benefits is closing in on our goal set over the last few years of raising £208,000 to pay for a cystic fibrosis treatment room in the new wing that GOSH are building right now.

So this is where you come in! I don’t do this type of thing often as you know, and soon my battered body probably won’t let me perform like this so please may I ask you once again to dig deep and sponsor me for doing these three challenges.

These three events would have been be hard enough if I had just done one of then in isolation but completing all three inside six months has taken a huge amount of effort and resolve - your support so far has driven me onwards, just one more to go, so please help push me over the line!

As I said earlier, in May I duly completed the first challenge, climbing Mount Toubkal in the Atlas Mountains. It was incredibly hard, relentless climbing on challenging terrain of shale and sharp rocks. I walked 25 miles in two days and climbed over 4000 meters, I encountered 30 degree heat and minus 16 cold, snow, ice, hail and 65 mile an hour wind but the challenge was completed.

In June I took on the cycle leg of the Blenheim triathlon and smashed 10 minutes off my time ably supported by Wade "the human seal" Edwards on the swim and Amarjit Singh on the run. Having not had the chance to train as hard on the bike as I would have liked prior to the race because of the mountain climb, I was delighted with the time.

So now it is just the 100 mile cycle from Oxford to go.

Thank you in advance for your generosity, support and love.

Michael x