Here he is, the man I told you about in previous posts! My friend Uffe has agreed to help me with my training. And that’s great news for me!

Firstly it means he doesn’t bear a grudge. Last year I made him swim across the fjord of Roskilde in stormy conditions. It was meant as a present, really, as the water in the fjord is usually glassy calm, but the swim ended up as a bumpy ride through massive pods of moon jellies.

Secondly he’s probably the most down to earth and composed guy I know, with an off-beat sense of humour and a positive outlook – even with 10 broken bones! No doubt I’ll be in safe hands when training my solo swims with Uffe accompanying me in his wetsuit or his kayak. Risky boat traffic, hypothermia, hunger or simply me blowing a fuse – whatever the reason Uffe will definitely be there to calm me down and get me back on track. No fuzz, no drama.

Thirdly he’s my local Godfather. Uffe always knows a man who knows a man who has a cousin whose neighbour has a brother who can help you. He’s got the right connections and knows all the strings to pull. He’s going to be a great help in many respects and I’ll be in eternal debt to him.

Uffe is…

• Creative, cool and original… as well as a former Graffiti King
• The father of three lovely girls – his youngest daughter is actually born on the exact same day as me (although his wife still denies it)
• Married to the funniest woman in the world (the one in denial) who’s still convinced flamingos are ostriches and ostriches have four legs
• The only marathon runner I know who wears a t-shirt saying “Running sucks”
• A real IronMan with no sport potency issue
• The only straight guy I know who dares train and race in pink without fearing for his masculinity

You’ve got to love him!