This is a bit about me, Tim Calver and why I've chosen to help.

For as long as I can remember, I have been involved in sporting activities.
First was soccer in the winter and then cricket and swimming in the summer.
Then I became a rower, mostly in single, double and quad sculls at Canberra Rowing Club, in Australia,
In my final year of school, with a good mate, I entered the world of a new sport – Triathlon.

Always feeling things could be achieved more easily, to a higher standard, my mate and I became junior members of the local Triathlon Committee and worked from the inside out to improve the fledgling sport in our area.

We both went on to become coaches, with my mate, Ben, coaching in Queensland, and I held the post of "Temporary State Coaching Director, Australian Capital Territory" for a period, I then went on to build my own Tri Squad.

I continued to race and provide some inspiration to my athletes.

Unfortunately for those I coached, I decided that I would attempt to race in the National Age Group Team, to represent Australia at the 1998 World Triathlon Championships in Switzerland.

I have been fortunate enough to be guided by some of my sport's greatest coaches, Ellen Randall (rowing) and Wayne "super coach" Goldsmith (swimming/Triathlon), who continue to develop world championship winning athletes to this day.

With their help, I did make national team selection and competed well, all things considered.

Following the Swiss event, I sought a short break from competition, I moved from the Gold Coast to northern Italy where I was an Alpine Ski Guide. In the lead up to that winter, I met an Italian bar owner who, knowing I’d competed for Australia in Triathlons, talked to me about some crazy race in the deserts of Morocco.

I finally got the opportunity to toe the start line at arguably, the world’s toughest foot race 10 years after that conversation.

Why CanTeen and Smiling for Smiddy? (2015)

When I returned from my stint in Italy, I moved to Sydney and undertook studies in IT, which seemed to be the thing to do at that time to ensure the best prospects of employment.

I, like many students, worked part time whilst I studied. I was a Ward Clerk at St Vincent’s Hospital in Sydney. The ward on which I worked was interesting, sometimes happy, and sometimes sad. It was the Oncology Ward.

During my time I met many of the staff and became friends with many patients.
I would sometimes even communicate over the phone to loved ones when the patients could not talk due to the nature of their treatments.

What struck me though was that I could leave that ward every day, many of the patients could not. Some didn’t make it out at all.

To see young adults facing the challenge of cancer, more often than not with a smile, made me want to help in whatever way I could.

That's when I first built the web site  'Desert Ultra Run . com' so people could easily help and support  Canteen in the lead up to, and during, the Marathon des Sables.

For the ones who suffered the challenges of the range of therapies that are used to treat cancer, I felt it was an unfair fight, something has to be done to help progress medical research to beat the this insidious disease

Now, a few years on from that sandy event. I am preparing for my 20th Noosa Tri and what better time to help out again whilst giving the race my best shot?

This is why I’ve chose CanTeen and now, Smiling for Smiddy. This is my chance, and this is your chance, to help if you can.