Melanie’s Ironman challenge

In August this year, I took on one of the biggest challenges of my life — an Ironman triathlon — in memory of my cousin Ben, who passed away in 2022 at just 41 years old, after a long and difficult illness.

Ben had Neurofibromatosis Type 1 (NF1), a condition that brought countless rounds of gruelling treatment, hospital stays, and pain.

But if you’d met Ben, you’d never know it.

To honour Ben’s strength, optimism, and the kindness he showed everyone around him, I raised money for Nerve Tumours UK, a charity that supports people living with NF — helping them find the treatment, guidance, and hope they need.

On 17th August, I took part in Ironman Copenhagen — a race that included:

This was my first Ironman, and I won’t lie — it was a scary prospect. I had 10 weeks of tough training, and it was one of the hardest things I’d ever taken on.

But whenever it felt overwhelming, I reminded myself why I was doing it — for Ben, and for others like him who need more support, more research, and more hope.