Right, people - firstly, thanks for coming! There's £1,000 to raise so please give generously. This Iron Man thing is hard work. Especially when you don't have any time to train properly.

For those of you who don't know, the race consists of the following, one after the other, NO rest in between, all in Sherborne, Dorset, on Sunday 20th August (assuming it doesn't take me more than 24 hours!):
> Swim, 2.4 miles. I think it's in a lake
> Bike, 112 miles. And LOADS of hills (no not all downhill)
> Run, 26 miles - a Marathon at the end just to finish me off.

My training has so far consisted of a grand total of about 150 miles cycling - the most I've ever done in one session was 56 miles, which destroyed me for a fortnight - and about 50 miles running. My longest ever swim is 1.2 miles...

Lots of you have told me to give up and try again next year for my health but as long as I raise £1,000 I'm going to do my best to finish. The longest time allowed to complete is 17 hours so while all my friends are enjoying the V Festival I'll be working my way round this course from 4am to probably 9pm... and I'm not even allowed to use my iPod!

By supporting me and Rotary International you will be supporting the following causes:
- The Children's Hospice Association, which helps children with life-threatening or life-limiting conditions
- Life Education Centres providing drug prevention education to children
- Medecins Sans Frontieres, providing vital help where tragedies unfold around the world
- The Air Ambulance Service

Donating through Justgiving is simple, fast and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way to sponsor me: Rotary-IronmanUK Triathlon Charities will receive your money faster and, if you are a UK taxpayer, an extra 28% in tax will be added to your gift at no cost to you. Best of all I don't have to run around chasing you all for your sponsorship money! :)

So please do sponsor me now, and give whatever you can.

Many, many thanks for your support.