Cycle News Thursday, September 30, 2004

Cancer heroine in new challenge

Terminal cancer sufferer Jane Tomlinson is preparing for one of the world's hardest and physically gruelling challenges - the three quarter Ironman.

The challenge in Nice consists of a 4km swim, 120km bike ride and a 30km run.

It will take about 11 hours in the heat of southern France. The distance is three times as long as the Olympic Triathlon and the cycle ride will include three mountain passes with three haute category (too high to grade) climbs.

The swim, in the sea, is equivalent to 160 lengths in an average pool.

However the mother-of-three from Rothwell, Leeds, is no stranger to haute category climbs. In June this year she completed the ultimate cycling challenge, 1,909-metre high Mont Ventoux in Provence, southern France, on a tandem bike with her brother Luke Goward.

Having already completed three London Marathons, three London triathlons and a bike ride 1,300-miles across the UK, which have raised more than AŁ900,000 for charity, Mrs Tomlinson vowed to stop taking part in her high profile challenges after finishing a 2,000-mile bike ride from Rome to Leeds in June this year.

However she feels that while she still has time left and is capable of taking part in the challenges she wants to do everything she can to raise as much money for charity and achieve as much as possible in the time she has left.

Her husband Mike, 43, said: "We are all a very nervous. The bottom line is we don't know if Jane can manage this. For the first time in two years our confidence level is less than 50%. So many imponderables, things that can go wrong. Will Jane's health hold out on an event of this scale? Is it worth it?

"Jane's never swum 4km before so even at the start it'll be new territory. There are cut off times at each stage so we aren't even certain that Jane will finish the swim in time.

"Jane and I are very tired and it will be a huge relief when we get to November and she can retire. We never envisaged the appeal would continue for this length of time with the pressure being so relentless. At present we are at AŁ925,000 with money still coming in at about AŁ7,000 per week."

(Source: http://icsouthlondon.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/nationalnews/tm_objectid=14682515&method=full&siteid=50100&headline=cancer-heroine-in-new-challenge-name_page.html)