A FOREST of Dean man recently completed a tough Ironman challenge, in a bid to raise money for charity and in memory of his late father.

Daniel Beard, 44, a manufacturing engineer operations leader from Cinderford, took on the gruelling triathlon in Swansea on Sunday, July 12 which saw him swim 1.2 miles, cycle 50 miles and run 13.1 miles.

He was one of 2,500 people who entered, and he completed the challenge in seven hours, 51 minutes.

His efforts have already raised over £700 so far, but Daniel hopes to raise more funds for Cheltenham Oncology, as part of Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust’s Big Space Cancer Appeal campaign.

Daniel’s father Steve passed away on December 26, 2024 after battling pancreatic cancer for just over four years. During this time, he received a great deal of support from Cheltenham Oncology.

Daniel said: “Dad spent a lot of time in Cheltenham oncology. When we had the collection for dad’s funeral, it was one of the charities we picked because it supports the local people. The charity is trying to build a purpose-built oncology centre in Cheltenham and it’s needed.”

Daniel’s father, a popular figure in the Forest of Dean, was a keen sportsman involved with Berry Hill Rugby Club, Forest Hills Golf Club and Cinderford Bowls Club.

Daniel said: “He would do anything for anyone. Always on hand to give advice and he was great with his kids and grandkids. Just a fun-loving guy that was taken too early.”

Daniel also has a passion for sport. He is a keen cyclist and currently helps at Littledean’s Glos-Velo Cycling. His passion prompted him to seek ways to challenge himself further - choosing to take on his first ever triathlon.

Daniel said: “I trained for it, I had a really good coach from Passion Fit Coaching in Cheltenham. They coach you about mindset rather than results. It’s about the process and getting through each stage and being the best you can be in that moment.

“I used to work with a team of triathletes and they were always on my case about doing something with them. Cycling was always something I did, so it seemed to be the natural thing to challenge myself and so something different - swimming and running to go with the cycling.”

The day saw Daniel battle not only the challenge itself, but also the Swansea heat. However, Swansea also gave him one of his most memorable moments, as the “spinetingling” Welsh national anthem was sung. Another memorable moment for him came at the end.

Daniel said: “Crossing the red carpet at the end signified eight months of hard work and dedication.

“This challenge was about closure of my grieving process for dad, and also to donate money to a cause that is going to create a purpose-built environment for the best cancer treatment.”

Daniel’s message to the community was that anyone can overcome a challenge if they set their mind to it. From learning to swim and run properly, in under a year - he completed this feat of endurance.

You can donate to Daniel’s cause via his JustGiving page.

Dan Beard
(Dan Beard)