IronmanUK and Run for Ron

In 2012 I was unsuccessful in getting a place in the London Marathon Ballot and was keeping an eye out for all the competitions going to try to bag a place.  Then a tweet popped up on my time line inviting applications to Run for Ron and the applications needed to go to Jo Jennings. Now I have met Jo a few times when she used to train at Broadbridge Heath Leisure Centre when I worked there so I duly sent the required email and was accepted.

The Ron in run for Ron is Ron Pickering, someone that I had watched many times on TV in my youth but not someone that I knew a huge amount about.  I knew of the Ron Pickering Memorial Fund and the work that it does for young athletes so was a charity that I could relate to.  Having become part of this team I received an unexpected email from Jean Pickering to thank me for agreeing to represent the charity.

I was also taking part in The Outlaw long distance triathlon in the July of 2012 and added that to the Brighton Marathon as well as London to prise money out of my friends and family for the fund.

Over the months from just before the marathon to after the Paralympics I had a few email conversations with Jean, after I had completed The Outlaw I vowed that I would not do another much to the relief of my wife. I booked tickets to go to watch the Paralympics Swimming and only when I started to look at this and the Olympic park did it click that the site was the old Eastway circuit that I used to race on as a junior. On further investigation it transpired that the old circuit was built in part due to Ron Pickering’s vision, so it appeared I had quite a bit to thank Ron for.

I recounted a story to Jean by email about the time that I competed in a Regional Road Race at Eastway having travelled by train to Paddington. I had then ridden across London with my racing wheels attached to brackets that my dad had made which attached to my front wheel and then strapped to my handlebars.  I won the race becoming regional champion which came with a medal, sash and a large bouquet of flowers.  These flowers I somehow managed to strap to one of my racing wheels to get home, slightly battered! Jean’s response was that my story “made an old woman smile”

My mate Dave then said he was doing Challenge Henley and would I like to join him? With the blessing of Amanda I duly entered and advised Jean that I would once again be wearing the Run for Ron vest in a long distance triathlon. Unfortunately Jean passed away the week before I did the Brighton Marathon that year and I failed to finish in Henley, the first DNF of the challenges that I have undertaken recently.

So this year I have already taken part in 2 Olympic distance Duathlons, Reading Half Marathon, Brighton Marathon and Cotswold 113 middle distance triathlon. My next challenge is IronmanUK in Bolton on 20^th July, I told Jean that my Run for Ron vest would grace another long distance triathlon and I do not intend to let her down. IronmanUK will probably be my last long distance triathlon, unless of course someone can gift me an entry to Kona!!

So if anyone reading this would be prepared to donate some money to the RPMF please visit www.virginmoneygiving.com/andrewfountain1 and help me raise some funds in memory of 2 wonderful people who I never met but that I admire greatly.

I did say that last year if I raised enough before race day I would agree to getting my legs waxed in case this prompted any people who wanted to inflict more pain on me to dig deep.

Thank You