Finally, after a 1.2K swim in 16°C water (along with 1,200 other competitors!), cycling up the 21 gruelling switchbacks of the Ad'H (which involved being powered up a good few meters by an elderly French man on a bike), and the hardest 7.5K I've ever run (hobbled) - I'd finished the Alpe d'Huez triathlon! It was an absolutely incredible experience, and despite being in A LOT of pain, I've never enjoyed a race so much. Hopefully, I'll find myself in that part of the world this time next year for round two.

 

Thanks to everyone who's supported me and the PSA so far - you are wonderful. Apparently this page stays active for a few months after the event, so there's still plenty of time to contribute if you haven't yet. 

 

Until next time :-)

 

- Nich x

 

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Hey guys!

 

So, having finally caved into curiosity and subsequently fallen in love with the sport about a month ago, I've decided to take the plunge and enter a triathlon!

 

I’m jumping in at the deep-end and attempting the Alpe d'Huez Triathlon in France on July 28th. This stunning but incredibly challenging course involves a 1.2km lake swim, 30km cycle (including the famous Alpe d’Huez: a 14km-long hill that climbs 1,200m – eep!), and finishes off with a 7km run at an altitude of 1,800m, which - given Chiang Mai's mere 300m - should be good fun for my lungs!

 

This will only be my second ever triathlon (I’m hoping to do the Norwich one less than a month before), and your support will be very, very much appreciated - especially to spur me on after the cycle, when the jelly legs kick in!

 

The Piers Simon Appeal (PSA) was founded by Luke Simon after his brother was tragically lost in the Boxing Day Tsunami in 2004. Since I first met Luke back in high school, the family-run charity has grown and continued to do incredible things for communities affected by disaster across the world. Additionally, they now run a "School in a Bag" project, which provides underprivileged children around the world with the basic resources to learn and to express themselves. For only £10 per bag, each child is provided with 10 pencils, 10 biro pens, 12 colouring crayons, a ruler, a math set, 3 exercise books (lined/square/plain) and a water bottle.

 

So please dig deep and help support the Piers Simon Appeal - it's a fantastic cause and donating will only take 5 minutes of your time.

 

Thanks a million!

 

Nich

xx