If you are reading this you might be thinking about helping me raise some money to enable me to represent Great Britain at the European & World Triathlon Championships 2012.

For those who know me well I don’t need to elaborate on how much it means to me to have this amazing opportunity. For those of you that don’t know me, I’ll need to convince you to part with your cash!

I’d love you to understand the personal journey I have been on and what it has taken for me (both physically & mentally) to reach this point and be able to have the chance to represent my country.  So if you would like to find out more you can read all the gory details here

Potted version for those with a low boredom threshold…………

My name is Martin Harman and I am 38 years old. I live in York and suffer from a heart arrhythmia called Atrial Fibrillation. I was diagnosed following an operation in 2006 which was believed to have caused the first episode of the illness.

Since diagnosis I have learnt how to manage my condition and after a period of time I was able to return back to work and slowly start to exercise again.

I took up Triathlon three years ago as part of a fundraising event and after six months of training, I competed in my first triathlon in Driffield, Yorkshire and managed to raise £1000 for the Atrial Fibrillation Association.  Competing at Driffield made me realise that the kind of lifestyle I wanted to enjoy was actually possible, but more than that I had an absolute passion for the sport.

My ambitions were delayed however, after I suffered a serious Cruciate ligament injury that required surgery and rehabilitation, but I wasn’t going to let that stop me and 6 months later returned to my training. I am absolutely thrilled to have qualified for the European Championships in Eilat, Israel on 19 April 2012. I also hope to represent GB at the World Championships in Auckland New Zealand in Oct 2012.

The qualifiers for these are in June/July 2012 and I will be competing in the Olympic distance which consists of a gruelling 1500m swim, 40km cycle and a 10 km run.

The reason why I participate in Triathlons is that whilst I thoroughly enjoy the challenge of the sport, it is also my way of proving to myself that Atrial Fibrillation may well live with me, but it will not live ‘for me’.

I am now looking for sponsorship to help cover travel costs to help me get to the Championships as well as raise vital money for the Atrial Fibrillation Association.  Unlike other sports there is little funding and the British Triathlon World Class lottery funding only supports a small number of athletes who are either performing at international level or who have the potential to compete at the highest level in the events beyond the 2012 Olympics. 

I have set-up a blog detailing how my training is going and this can be found at http://triwithrhythm.blogspot.com/

I would really love it if you could support both me and the charity who have been a vital pillar of support over the last few years.

Thanks for taking the time to ready my page and i would be grateful for your donation no matter how small.

Martin