A hugely proud moment for 2019 was Howard entering his first sprint triathlon as both a personal goal and as a way to raise awareness for Perthes and funds to go towards research, and hopefully inspire James that anything and everything is possible when you put your mind to it and focus on it.
So with that, Howard started training for 23rd June for the Wargrave triathlon – 750m swim in the River Thames, 20km bike ride and 5km run.
Cycling he was doing anyway, a 5km run he knew he could do all be it not a regular runner, but open water swimming? Never done before (excludes beach bathing in warmer climes!) in a very cold river, and then followed by the other two? That was pretty daunting!
Needless to say, he did amazingly well, the atmosphere and community support was great, and despite being possibly the toughest thing he’s ever done, I think he managed to enjoy it too in a weird way. Crossing the finish line was of course filled with a mix of emotions of relief, elation and pride! He now has a ‘personal best’ which he intends to beat in 2020, and I know he will.
Howard even made it into the Henley Standard local paper! And finally we are both immensely grateful to all our friends and family who supported him. Well done Howie!
Next up, a blog on other support organisations and resources I have engaged with this year.
The Cookes Take on Perthes 