The lead up to this Middle Distance triathlon was hectic. We hurtled from wedding reception to airport, flew to Romania, drove for hours, barely slept and fixed my messed-up bike just in time for kick-off at Lake Bezid near the town of Targu Mures.

Thanks to warm weather, it was a freshwater, non-wetsuit swim, which meant that I paddled round sedately before zipping along the smooth, undulating bike course in a good time, blessing my good fortune to have a working bike.

Out on the run, there were enthusiastic crowds and I exchanged encouraging shouts with Lee from the Welsh valleys. So good to see him, with his wife Angharad supporting on the course, along with my wife Clare.

Rain began to fall, which cooled me down and I finished in 5 hours 40 minutes, mid-way through my age group.

UK Triathlon is an amazing organisation. While other countries will enter half a dozen athletes, we have hundreds! It means there are more opportunities for people like me to race for our country, although you still have to meet strict and demanding criteria to qualify.

There’s something really special about representing Great Britain. Ever since my cousin swam for GB in the 1988 Seoul Olympics, I’ve hankered after a chance to follow him. So this mini version was a privilege and a pleasure.