When I posted my mystery picture between Christmas some of you had great fun guessing what my next challenge would be. There were some good (and some less good!) guesses but none of you were right this time. The answer was that I am very happy to have been chosen as an ambassador for this year’s Swimathon event!

In Case You Don’t Know About Swimathon

The Swimathon challenge runs from 27th-29th April and encourages everyone to get in the water and swim anything from 400m to 5km, either at an organised event or independently.

Swimathon has been running for 30 years and has  helped to raise over £48 million for some of the UK’s major charities. This year the Swimathon Foundation are teaming with Marie Curie and Cancer Research UK, with money raised aiding both charities equally.

Why Did I Want To Be A Part?

Two immediate members of my family have been diagnosed with cancer in the last year. So both of these charities are close to my heart right now.

I love swimming. Some of my earliest memories are of family holidays in France, with hours spent in pools on campsites. My Mum has always been a strong swimmer and I remember challenging her to races and marvelling at how powerfully she swam.

Like my Mum though I have always favoured breast stroke over front crawl. After leaving school I gradually stopped swimming front crawl at all. This didn’t bother me until I started considering triathlons and realised that people rarely swim breast stroke.

I wanted  to re-learn my front crawl but simply didn’t have the confidence to try it again. I’m pretty sure if I try front crawl at the pool now it wouldn’t be pretty. Imagine arms and legs flailing as I gasp for air! People would be either diving in to rescue me or asking for me to be thrown out.

Being a Swimathon ambassador gives me the chance to finally seek proper advice and coaching and provides me with the  motivation to practice. It also gives me the chance to get back to the pool with my Mum. She is one of the people in my life to be affected by cancer and will be having an operation in January. Once Mum has recovered she will be joining me in my training – although I think she will stick to breast stroke.

So…Are You In?!

I will be sharing my training with you but I also want you to be a part. If you are looking for a challenge, a little motivation or something fun to do with your friends, here’s your chance! Plus you can raise money for two great charities along the way.

Take on the distance of your choice; on your own or as part of a relay and join me in training for this great event. The Swimathon website has advice on which distance will suit you best. It’s also packed with top tips and training plans. Whatever you decide to go for let me know so we can share our training experiences.

Registration for the Swimathon opened this week. Until January 21st there is 50% off the registration fee. What are you waiting for? Join me in this fantastic challenge now!