In just under 4 months’ time, Chester and I will be taking part in one of the world’s hardest one day events - The Barcelona Ironman (COVID-19 Pending).

This ironman consists of a:

- 2.4 mile sea swim

- 112 mile cycle

- 26.4 mile run

Before this, the furthest I had run
was the Glastonbury 5k Fun Run, I didn’t own a road bike, and the only recent
swimming I’d done was in my budgies, swimming to the bar at Ocean Beach
Club.  So, I think it’s fair to say that
this is going to be a challenge for me.

So why are we doing this? To raise
money and awareness for a great charity, Movember.

Since 2003, The Movember Foundation
has funded more than 1,250 men’s health projects around the world, challenging
the status quo, shaking up men’s health research and transforming the way
health services reach and support men. The Movember Foundation aims to raise
awareness about and fund research to fight prostate and testicular cancers, as
well as bring men’s mental health out of the shadows of shame and suppression.
Globally, on average, 1 man dies by suicide, every minute of every day.

Here are some key facts about prostate
cancer, testicular cancer and men’s mental health:

• 1 in 8 UK men will be diagnosed with
prostate cancer in their life, but if it’s detected early, the survival rate is
98%. If the cancer spreads, that drops to 26%. Early detection saves lives!

• Testicular cancer is the most common
form of cancer amongst young men, but 83% of men aren’t aware of this fact.
Like prostate cancer, early detection means a 95%+ chance of survival. You
should be checking your testicles! (Top tip, wait until you’re by yourself to
do this to avoid strange looks…)

• Globally, 75% of suicide cases are
men, and for every person who commits suicide, 20 more attempts to take their
own life. ‘Manning up’ and ‘toughing it out’ alone isn’t the only option, and
it’s not even a good one; it’s okay to not be okay.

Your support will go towards vital
work that’s shining a light on the health risks men need to know about,
increasing awareness to stop men dying too young. The aim of the Movember
Foundation is by 2030, to reduce the number of men dying prematurely by 25%. We
all have the chance to have an everlasting impact on the face of men’s health.

Movmeber sits close to my heart because of the work they do for mental health. Over the years, I have lost friends to suicide. Happy, great people, the kind of people you would least expect. You can’t help but think what could you have done? The sad reality is this is happening every day, and this needs to change. We’re living through a global pandemic, which has seen life as we know it turned upside down. I believe it is important now more so than ever, for us
all to feel we can reach out to friends and family, to keep our mental health healthy, particularly those who have been self-isolating. And even if you can’t donate any money, if reading this makes you reach out to just one person for a conversation, it will make all this gruelling training worth it. If you don’t know what to say, tell them two idiots you know are trying to do an ironman, and one of them can’t even swim.

Thank you for reading and please donate what you can, if not, please reach out to someone, it would make all
this worth it!

Stay safe.