It is nearly five years since our dear little Artemis lost her battle against Juvenile Myelomonocytic Leukaemia. We, her sisters, our family and friends miss her, and regularly visit her grave at St Nicolas’ Church in Upper Chute. Artemis’ supporters continue to put on events and to take on challenges to raise monies in her name. We are grateful for their time and generosity, and for keeping her memory alive. Please do have a look at the usual Instagram page at ‘fundraising4artemis’ to see what's been going on, including the regular giving of blood in her name.

The monies which the Rawhides raised in the Ride4Artemis in 2021 (c.£240,000) are being used by the Institute of Cancer Research and the Royal Marsden to fund studies into the triggers for leukaemia in children, with the ultimate hope of finding cures for these horrendous diseases. Research remains under-funded, given childhood cancer is rare and accounts for less than 1% of all cancer cases in England each year.

With that in mind, a small team of (not so) elite athletes are taking on a challenge worthy of the pennies in your pockets. We are going to attempt an Ironman. In fact, we are not just attempting any old Ironman. This is Ironman Wales, recognised by 220 Ironman Magazine as the 10th hardest triathlon on the planet. The Ironman Cymru course, which takes place on 22 September 2024, is brutal by any standards: A 2.4m/3.9km swim in the Bristol Channel, followed by 112m/180km cycle through Pembrokeshire and then a 26m/42 km marathon run through Tenby to finish. The reason this Ironman is especially tough is because it’s hilly - even the swim! The elevation on the bike and run is over 2,500 and 500 metres respectively and historically, there is a significant DNF rate.

So, who’s on the team? Well, truth be told, there weren’t that many volunteers. In the end it took blood (Caspar Wood, Yorks) and extreme bravery/foolishness (George Hawkins, Wilts). By his own admission, George was not a great swimmer and until recently had never owned a road bike or attempted a triathlon of any length. Why on earth would George take this on? Easy - he knew Artemis.

We are a little bit older than we remember and we are hardly the right body shapes for an Ironman. We don’t really know whether the course is achievable. If it is, we doubt there’ll be any change from 14 hours. On the plus side, an Ironman is a bucket list event (the atmosphere and support in Tenby will be sensational) and is clearly a tonic for the classic mid-life crisis. Have a look at the video for the 2023 race: https://youtu.be/4MS2G39TICo

Team Artemis knows from experience that, along with a personal connection to a cause, the prospect of serious challenge and pain tends to drive the fund raising. This is a serious challenge. Far more importantly, it is such a worthy cause. Your support will give the next generation of children with leukaemia and blood cancer a better fighting chance. As before, we’ll split the money between the ICR and the Royal Marsden in Artemis’ name, to continue to fund the wonderful work being led by Professor Sir Mel Greaves and others on behalf of the ICR and the Marsden.

Thank you in advance for anything you can give. In return for your generosity, we’ll post some training updates and a full post race report here or on the usual Instagram page at ‘fundraising4artemis’.

Many thanks and wish us luck.

Jody, Caspar and George.