Road to Blenheim: You're Doing What?

Despite my last post about failing to finish Cotswold113, 2025 turned out to be one of my best triathlon years: I got a new olympic distance PB (despite yet another Bala storm), I ran my fastest 5k off the bike in years, and I did a team relay triathlon with an amazing team from Women in Tri (and felt like an olympian). The next challenge was figuring out what to do in 2026 which could push me in new and exciting ways.

It was easy to rule out some things I didn't want to do: I'm never planning on doing an ironman and I don't really fancy another marathon. I was thinking about another half ironman or a big swim challenge but then I saw a call for charity places to take on the Blenheim Palace Weekend Warrior triathlon and I was intrigued...

What's a weekend warrior I hear you cry? Well it's a sprint triathlon (750m swim, 20km bike, 5km run) but you do as many as you can over the course of two days. It's not continuous: you can have breaks between triathlons and you get to sleep at the end of each day. But it is multiple triathlons over two days when it normally takes me 2-4 business days to recover from a single sprint triathlon...

Universally, everyone I've told about this challenge has then asked why?! Primarily, I'm taking this challenge on to raise money for a cause really close to my heart: the amazing charity Women in Tri UK. I've spoken about their great work before but they exist to break down gender barriers in triathlon (and by extension in sport more widely). I see the difference that Women in Tri UK makes every single week when women of all ages, ethnicities and body types take on challenges they never thought possible - for example, last month we had over 50 women running the London Marathon!

Women in Tri also have a huge team taking part at Blenheim - from first timers to other hardy souls taking on the Weekend Warrior with me - and none of this could happen without financial and volunteer support. It's a really small charity: all the money raised will go back into supporting women to swim, bike and run through free and subsidised race places, training sessions, mentoring, and advocacy work. I love triathlon but it's not always the most welcoming sport for newcomers, particularly if you're not already sporty. Women in Tri would have been a lifeline for me eleven years ago when I was taking on my first triathlon and is such an inspiring community to be part of.

I'd really love it if you were able to spare a few pounds not just to support my own personal brand of insanity (although that is appreciated!) but to help more women find the joy of triathlon, and more importantly, of movement and community.