As you may be aware, if you have read these posts before, I like to ride bikes.
A little while ago, through a connection from the Triathlon scene in Nottingham, I was introduced to Mick Green.
Mick owns a bike shop called Langdale Lightweights, which was set up by his father many years ago. It is an astonishing place. An Aladdin’s cave for cyclists. It is the place you go to have a bike made and fitted specifically to your standards by someone who takes enormous amounts of pride in his work. It is a place where people make things and try to make them right and make them last. They don’t let things leave the shop until they think it’s absolutely right. On one occasion, I went with my dad when he was down from Scotland for a preliminary fitting for a time trial bike and we were there for 3 hours.
I have not met Mick many times and only as a customer but then found out from the contact that introduced us that Mick’s wife was terminally ill, having suffered for some years with Leukemia. Soon after I found this out, Mick’s wife Karen died, leaving Mick to run his bike shop and look after his 2 young daughters.
People die all the time, my wife is a children’s cancer nurse who looks after children who are terminally ill. I didn’t know Mick particularly well, having only met him a few times but something really affected me in the death of his wife and I think its because I could really relate to his situation.
My life is hellish busy, I do loads of different things and I am really lucky but I could not imagine even trying to survive my life without my wife being around. I am trying to run 2 businesses, be a dad to 3 kids (and a dog) and do many other things besides but I could not survive without my wife, God knows how Mick can manage.
I was therefore astonished to get a phone call in September last year from the same contact that introduced us (Steve Lloyd of Absolute Triathlon) telling me that Mick planned to set up a foundation in honour of his wife and to race in the Outlaw Iron Man Triathlon in Nottingham. Foolishly I agreed to become involved in the Outlaw project and said that I would compete in the race. Although this is an ambition of mine, it was too early, too soon and I have subsequently reduced my ambitions back to being part of a relay team and doing the 112-mile bike leg.
Further to this, I have agreed to be a trustee of the Karen Green Foundation. We are now planning on launching the foundation this month.
The plan is to raise funds for sufferers of Leukemia and other blood borne diseases and their families and also to help para athletes to realise their dreams, as this was something that would have been close to Karen’s heart.
As the blog posts continue, I will tell you more about the Karen Green Foundation and our project towards the Outlaw in Nottingham, where we hope to have between 30 and 40 individuals or relay teams competing.
Please watch this space and read on whenever you see a post.
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