Upon completion of the UK Ironman in 2012, I said I would never do another long distance triathlon race again. But as with all things, I never keep my promises to myself!

A fellow triathlete advised that I could be legible to represent Great Britain in triathlon at European and International events. I thought I’d look into it just to see what opportunities were available. I found that the European Long Distance Triathlon Championships was scheduled for 2013 in Vichy, France and I had met the qualification requirements.

I knew that although I had promised myself I would never do another long distance triathlon, I could not turn down this once in a lifetime opportunity. I signed up and was then on a long term training regime to get myself fast and fit for the European Championships.

This was one of my best races as pretty much every aspect of my race went to plan. I was also fortunate to get sponsored leave off work to return to Gibraltar and train for 2 weeks. The 2 weeks I spent in Gibraltar was a dream come true! I was able to live like a true professional triathlete; eat, sleep, train, repeat!

You can read my blog which summarises how race day went for me. In addition, you can read the article that featured in The Bristol Post. 

Since my family had come along to support me, I thought it would only be fair to treat them to a short holiday in Paris! We visited the beautiful city and most importantly, we said “hi” to Mickey Mouse and his friends.