UK age-grouper James Page is a normal family man taking on a not-so-normal challenge this September: the Triple Brutal Extreme in Snowdonia National Park, North Wales. It’s all in aid of three charities close to his heart, as James explains…
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I decided to take on the triple having completed a double iron-distance triathlon in 2013, completing the course in 37:19hrs. After stating publicly a number of times during the race, “I’m never doing that again,” I’m back now and going triple.
I’m raising money for three children’s charities which have touched my heart over the years – one charity for each iron-distance event. The first charity is the Taunton Opportunity Group (TOG), a preschool for children with multi-sensory needs. My daughter Maddy was born with congenital heart disease and Peters Plus Syndrome, amongst a host of other medical concerns, and spent her early years attending TOG being stimulated there.
The second charity is Child Bereavement UK, which supports families dealing with bereavement. The third charity is Birmingham Children’s Hospital, and in particular for the treatment and research of child brain tumour.
Let the training begin…
I’ve been been training solidly since signing up for the race back in November last year. As part of my build-up, I’ve swum, cycled and run thousands of miles. I’ve also taken on a number of challenges as part of this build up – some of the highlights so far this year have been:
The Oner, an 82 mile coastal run in April along the South West Coast Path from Charmouth to Studland, which I completed in 23:25hrs. This race normally has a 50% dropout rate, due to its difficulty.
Hope 24, a multi-terrain trail run in June where I battled through pain and tears over 24 hours to complete 100 miles of running, placing sixth out of 80 solo entrants. This was a massive achievement for me and almost took me to my breaking point.
The Avalon Audax 404km cycling event, which I completed in June in a time of 20:02hrs. The route ran from Devon, through Somerset, across to Wales, back into South Gloucestershire, Gloucestershire, back into Somerset and back to Wales.
Big Brutal 10K Swim in August – a 10km swim in Lake Pardan, LLanberis and the lake I have to swim in for the Triple.
With only four weeks to the big day and halfway to my £3k fundraising target, I’m feeling fit and ready for the challenge, and can’t wait to rest afterwards. There is still time to enter the race and join me on the start line. You can also follow me on Twitter, and contribute to me charity page.
I’ve been supported and sponsored by a number of companies, for which I’m very grateful for their support. Ashwood Shepherd Huts, BC Trees, Howard SW ltd, Phoenix Fitness, Speedo, BetterYou, Proviz, Compressport, Jackoatbar, Science and Fitness, and V02 Sportswear.
For lots of long-distance advice, head to our Training section