A FORMER Army Officer is set to prove his "metal" this weekend when he competes in an Ironman competition to raise funds for Macmillan Cancer Relief.

Chris Scott, of Linton-on-Ouse, will face the toughest men in Europe, on Sunday, at an "ultra distance" triathlon in Frankfurt, Germany, that would have most of us quivering in fear.

Competitors will first swim 2.4 miles in a lake before jumping on to their bikes and cycling 112.5 miles. They must then run a 26.2-mile marathon. This gruelling feat must be achieved within a 16-hour time limit.

Chris, 27, was a physical training instructor in the Army until an injury sustained in Northern Ireland forced him to leave. He says he decided to take part in the Ironman competition "as a chance to prove to myself I was back up to speed".

Chris trains regularly and often competes in duathlons. He has been working towards this challenge since last November and he trains twice a day, a serious commitment alongside running his jointly-owned IT recruitment business. As a civilian member of the North Yorkshire Police Triathlon Club, he is allowed to use the lake at Ripon Racecourse to practice his swimming.

Besides his personal challenge, Chris is hoping to raise lots of money for Macmillan Cancer Relief, a cause close to his heart after losing his grandfather to the disease.

All the money raised by Chris will go to the Macmillan York appeal which was launched in June this year. Macmillan is aiming to raise £40,000 over the next two-to-three years in order to fund two new nurses and a doctor for the York area.

Chris says he is pleased that "the money I raise will directly reward the nurses who helped my family".

Chris has already achieved over £1,000 in sponsorship, but is keen to collect as much as possible.

This is not the first time that Chris has appeared in the Evening Press due to his fundraising activities. In October 1988, when he was 14, Chris undertook a sponsored swim for Great Ormond Street Hospital. While his classmates were content to finish their swim at the 20 lengths required, Chris decided to keep going until he had completed 100.

If you would like to sponsor Chris, you can contact him on 07951 740535, or call Alex Emsley, York Appeal Co-ordinator for Macmillan Cancer Relief, on 01904 756402.

Updated: 11:35 Tuesday, August 13, 2002