Optician Team picks up more support

The Optician Ironman Team has secured two influential new sponsors in the run up to the UK Ironman on August 2.

Hilco has agreed to become a team sponsor through the provision of prescription eyewear for the Optician team members and is also making a heafty donation to Vision Aid Overseas.

See20/20 has also agreed to provide generous support for the team members by way of equipment to take part in the event. This is invaluable support for their efforts and will go alogn way to help them hit their fundraising goals.

Optician has a target of £10,000 to hit for Vision Aiod Overseas. It is already well on the way thanks to super support from the Optician Awards charity casino and donations from Transitions, Ultralase and Essilor. The additional support from Hilco, Speedo and See20/20 will bring that fantastic target a little bit closer.

Training for the event is well underway and Optician will be publishing an update in its July 10 issue.

If you would like to make a donation go to: http://www.justgiving.com/opticianironman09/

Oh no, I am being dropped by the pack

Eat my dust Bennett

Like a weak cyclist in the Tour De France I have been dropped by the pack.

I hate to say it but Fiona is kicking my a*s! when it comes to training at the moment. She was one of the intrepid riders in the now infamous 'Etack' Caledonia ( that's a cycling joke there). But since then the activity hasn't stopped.

While I have been grounded by family issues, she has been clocking up the miles.
'Last Saturday, We did the 100m south downs relay (Liss runners had a ladies, vets and mens teams) started at Beachy Head and finished in Winchester,' she writes. ' There were 6 in our ladies team and 18 legs. [No wonder this woman is so fast, she's got three legs-- Chris] ........this mean't 3 'HILLY' legs of approx 10k and it was exhausting! We left Liss in a mini bus at 3.50am so I could begin the first leg (over the seven sisters!) at beachy head for 6.30am! the final team member came in to give us a time of 13 12hrs . This gave the ladies an overall position of 3rd place. I returned home 10.30 Sat eve in order to prepare the bike for the magnificent 126 mile cycle the next day. At this point I was seriously having a sanity check.
On Sunday morning, I managed to sleep in until late ( 6.30) and actually found it quite difficult to walk after the individual total of 18m on sat. The weather was grim and after hearing about Chris Bennett's King of the North Downs epic, I really didn't feel up for cycling! However i managed to throw some jam and peanut butter rolls in my pockets and drive off to Highclere castle. During registration the weather seemed to brighten up a little and I felt I had no excuse but to get onto the bike. OMG the legs were screaming even just spinning in the first 5k (and this was on the flat!) the first climb hit and I was going so slow, I thought I was going to fall off the bike!
Thoughts of going home and giving up this early in any race was something that has never crossed my mind in the past........am i losing my mental toughness? [No Way --Chris].
I decided that this was no race for me but purely a sunday morning cycle in some spectacular scenery with lots of other cyclists, i 'picked up' (so to speak) a Farnham tri guy en-route who had 3 punctures and a new tyre (courtesy of Mavic) and we decided that the 77m route with picnic stops followed by a very civil pot of tea in the pub was the only way to tackle our morale. I punctured 1 mile from the finish Grrrr. At the end I laid flat on the floor 'spent'.........I hobbled to the massage tent for some leg manipulation .... Only days ago I called the Bala middle distance organiser and asked if it was possible to enter........and before i knew it I bank transferred the entrance fee...........THE 70.3 RACE IS NEXT SUNDAY [That's a half Ironman --Chris].............I THINK I NEED HELP

No, I think I need help --Chris