In April 2002 I contracted meningitis. Despite spending 7 days in critical care and being given only a small chance of surviving through the first night, I was fortunate enough to make a full recovery, many people are not as fortunate!

Nearly ten years on and I feel I'm in a position to be able to do something to help the menigitis trust whilst also having some fun. I've decided thatas I turn 30 this year I'm going to attempt an Ironman distance triathlon, Challange Henley-on-Thames (http://www.challengehenley.com/).

I like to think that I've been reasonably fit for most of my adult life, but this is something I had only ever dreamed of attempting before and if I'm honest I find it more than a little daunting. Starting at 6:30am I'm going to attempt to swim 2.4 miles (3.8km), cycle 112 miles (180km) and then run a full 26.2 mile (42km) marathon. Oh, and I have to do it all within the 16 hour cut off time!

The entry fee and all the transport costs have been paid by me so every penny donated will go straight to the meningitis trust to enable them to continue the fantastic work increasing awareness of meningitis and its symptoms and also assisting with the aftercare of people affected by meningitis.