Wheels on fire

There is a busy six weeks ahead for Anne Coleman as she gears up for the ninth Tritobeat cancer triathlon which will take place this year at Belvedere on July 4.The charity which was founded by Ann Burns, who sadly has since passed away and didn"t get to see the 2004 triathlon at Lilliput, which had chosen as the new venue for the meet.In all the Tritobeat Cancer committee which is made up of 'five gorgeous men' plus Anne Coleman has helped to raise €1.2 million for St Vincent"s hospital in Dublin since the event began.'Of course we just organise, it"s the participants who raise the cash,' said Anne. 'These are wonderful people who pull out all the stops year in and out and it"s because of them and the research that is funded from the money that we raise that we can"t stop now. It"s such a wonderful event in so many ways that we fully intend to keep moving forward and of course we have found the perfection location in Belvedere.The 'five gorgeous men' that Anne speaks of are John O" Reilly, who is the race director, Pat Nugent, Joe Holton, Pat McDermott and Brian Boyle who was a 'find' from the Midlands Triathlon Club. The six have ensured that the triathlon has gone from strength to strength and are currently making the final preparations for this year"s events.'I suppose there is one thing that we should point out and that is Midlands Triathlon is an integral part of the Tritobeatcancer race. Brian Boyle"s work at the club has moved it along tremendously and it now has over 120 members and is really thriving. Of course the triathlon gets support from all over the country but in particular the Midlands club stands out as a bedrock of support.'When Anne isn"t organising events for the charity she has a full-time job working as a training officer with the marriage guidance service Accord and is based in Maynooth.Born and bred in Mullingar, and having always worked there, she was reluctant to move on to Maynooth and says that she fell into her new role by 'accident'.'I had been working for a printing company in Mullingar for 12 years and had already decided that it was time to move on but wasn"t sure what I wanted to do. I was invited to the interview with Accord and I only went because I had lots of time on my hands because I was off work with a broken arm. When I went into the campus at NUI I fell in love with it. It"s such a beautiful place to work all year round and as it turned out I was delighted to have been offered the job despite the 40 minute drive to work.'Anne won"t have to travel for the triathlon which will be held at Belvedere for the second year running. Although she cycles there and back every weekend, she doesn"t compete in the triathlon preferring to use her organisational skills rather than her muscles to help raise funds.'Triathlon clubs are always looking for people to referee or to help organise events because so many people want to compete,' she said. 'I do cycle a bit but it would be impossible to compete and to organise as well.'Although we have many people competing to win we have entrants who have all sorts of reasons for taking part and who get people to help them complete the race.'We had one lady who taking part in the triathlon when it was being held at Lilliput and she did the cycle with a basket of flowers on her bike and someone else did the swim and the run for her.'Another story that stands out is the 76-year-old man who did the swim last year. His daughter had died from cancer six months earlier and he wanted to do it for her.His son-in-law did the run and his grandson did the cycle. I think that competitors are allowed 30 minutes tops for the swim but the lads waited for him to come out of the water and walked him back to the shore. It"s stories like that one that keeps us all going year after year.'Professor Crown, who comes to the race every year, runs the cancer unit at St Vincent"s and many of the people he had treated come back to the triathlon to see him and tell him how they are getting on. He actually took the committee on a tour of the research labs and we were greatly heartened to see all the work that was being done there.'I remember thinking that they all seemed so young to be doing what they are doing and they all seemed so positive about the advances they are making through their research. I have such great respect for the professor and his team and it is fantastic that we are able to help fund their work.'I would say that aside from the serious business of raising funds, the day is a fantastic fun event. It"s quite something to see the swimmers in the lake. Last year we had three hundred people all swimming along the shore and they are visible for the whole swim.'We will also have food stalls on the day and a disco after the event, the music adds to the whole atmosphere of the day. There are still spaces available for competitors and it"s not too late to apply. I would also say that people can get sponsored to cover entry costs which are €250 for a single entry and €450 for a team. Taking a leg of the triathlon each is also a great way to enter. It can be very exciting to watch one competitor hand over to another.'Whether you are competing or not, the triathlon is a great day out for everyone.'