UK marketer heading for Kona IronMan World Champs

Alex Brooks, senior brand manager at For Goodness Shakes, jets out next week to contest the 2009 IronMan World Championship’s in Kona, Hawaii.

Those of you who gamely dragged yourselves around the Marketing Industry Triathlon should appreciate what a feat this is. Olympic Triathlon is - 1.5km swim, 40km cycle and a 10k run... IronMan is a 6km swim, 180km cycle and then a marathon. And Kona is hilly and hot!

Brooks trains for up to 25 hours a week, dragging himself out of bed at 4.45am. A half-marathon and 4km swim later he arrives at work for his second breakfast at 9am. After a full day in the office, he hits the roads for 2-3 hour cycle usually around Richmond Park. I feel tired just typing that out.

Weekends are more gruelling – a six hour bike ride, followed by three hour runs. All of which has resulted in him wearing out three pairs of trainers this year.

I'd like to wish Alex the best of luck and you can follow his progress on Twitter @alexdgbrooks prior to and during the event on 10 October. But not after as he’s finally taking his honeymoon.

‘You're not signing any more!' or are they? Chelsea FC find loophole to escape 18-month transfer ban

Chelsea, clearly bored with not being allowed to register new players for 18-months, have launched a clever viral campaign called ‘be the 12^th man' in which you the fan take the role of a new Chelsea FC player... and it features some of the worst acting you're ever likely to witness.

It's been noted by some (wrongly) that Chelsea will struggle due to an ageing squad and their 18-month transfer ban. However, if any of Chelsea's more experienced players, especially Michael Ballack, are considering an acting career after they hang up their boots they should think again.

But then again - if Vinny Jones can become a Hollywood star...

The campaign is pretty cool, but doesn't make a whole lot of sense - you get stopped at security, it appears none of your new teammates have the faintest idea who you are and although Chelsea have got up to some pretty tricksy business in recent years I can't recall them ever trying to field 12 players at one time.

Anyway, try it for yourself...

http://www.adidas.com/campaigns/chelsea12thman/content/index.aspx?section=Video

FA apes Nike ad to increase participation

Seems this ad may be a tad old but I only saw it over the weekend and think it's worth a look.

The FA is running a viral and TV campaign urging players to get back into the game 'whatever your level'.

It apes Nikes award winning 'Take it to the next level' ad, directed by Guy Ritchie, which tracks the progress of a young player through the Arsenal youth team, first team and finally into the Dutch national team.

Watch the campaign here...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Qknteb8Klo

Rugby legend Jonah Lomu turns pro bodybuilder: But is it a sport?

All Black wing legend Jonah Lomu is back in action, but this time he's competing in bodybuilding.

Lomu's outstanding rugby career was railroaded by kidney problems but he is set to return to the field soon with Marseille Vitrolles in November.

Lomu, now 34, piled on the pounds following his kidney transplant in 2004 and says he's has worked extremely hard to get in shape.

While bodybuilders train like professional athletes, they do not enter the event in peak physical form but as weak as kittens.

Is bodybuilding a sport?

England's new rugby shirt unveiled... but over-priced

The only thing more embarrassing than some of Englands rugby performances in recent years has been their horrendous kit. No longer.

Today the RFU has launched the 2009/10 shirt, a massive improvement. The shirt carries a nice bit of latin 'Rugbeia Floreat Ubique', which means 'Rugby Flourishes Everywhere'... although I'm surprised the Romans had a word for rugby.

England's rolly-polly front rowers will be disappointed to hear that the shirt is once again skin tight. The O2 logo includes PU Grippers which it says assist with grip.

I'm sure Nike have put a lot of time, effort and resources into to developing this shirt - but £90 seems an outrageous mark up to me.

Here it is...

Sports latest sibling rivalry: The Brownlee brothers

This week Alistair Brownlee from Leeds became World Triathlon champion. He has dominated the inaugural ITU World Championships and as a follower of the sport I am delighted for him.

At just 21 he has the world at his feet and it is a great bet is that Brownlee will take Gold at the London 2012 Olympics - which one is another matter.

Younger brother Jonathan is coming up on the rails fast and perhaps represents his biggest threat to dominating the sport having fell agonizingly short of taking the Junior world title a day later.

The sports world is littered with sibling rivalries. Venus Williams looked like dominating the women's tennis scene until Serena came along, and while Jamie Murray is the only one in the family to have won a Slam, younger brother Andy is the star.

The most famous sporting brothers are probably still the Charltons, Jack and Bobby. More recently of course we've had the Neville boys, and then the Toures.

Why Kolo failed to mention his significantly more talented younger brother Yaya to Arsene Wenger years ago must rankle Arsenal fans.

Most recently we've seen the emergance of Brazilian twins at Manchester United - Fabio and Raphael. I honestly have no idea which is which, but it seems me Sir Alex has got himself on hell of a BOGOF deal.

Andy Murray to boost UK economy by £400m in 2009

 A press release from Barclays today carried the headline: 'Murray to boost UK economy by £400m in 2009'.

This is clearly nonsense and makes me wonder if my savings would be safer elsewhere. However, the report does show the remarkable value of the UKs number 1 tennis player, which on further reading is around £145m per annum.

The bank also says Wimbledon and the ATP World Tour Finals attract well over 750,000 fans each year 'bigger than any football, golf, cricket or rugby event' - this obviously isn't true either. I really must change my bank.

Whatever the outlandish claims, it's clear that tennis is enjoying a resurgence in the UK.

Last year, RBS came in for a lot of grief for its sports sponsorship strategy with certain MPs calling for its ambassedors, including Murray, to terminate their contracts.

While Murray may not be the '£400m man' just yet, RBS' strategy made a lot more sense than some of the media gave it credit for.There are many reasons RBS got itself into a pickle, one of which was not its abassedor strategy.

The £400m figure, for what it's worth, is the combined value of 'The Murray Effect', the Barclays ATP World Tour Final at The O2, the redevelopments at Wimbledon, increased likelihood of scuccess in the Davis Cup and the impact of superstars like Federer and Nadal.

Cheats shouldn't propser, but suspending Eduardo is beggars belief

European football's governing body has finally lost the plot.

Today Brazilian/Croatian striker Eduardo has been banned for two games for 'simulation' during Arsenal's return leg against Celtic last week.

A can of worms has now well and truely been opened.

I think any true fan would agree that something needs to be done about diving, but this ban has come completely out of the blue.

UEFA have deemed it worthy to judge the player well after the event, and yet we're unwilling to take a second look at the sending off Manchester United's Darren Fletcher in last year's semi-final - a decision that cost the Scot a place in the final against Barcelona.

Arsenal's manager Arsene Wenger says he will now contest every dubious decision from here on in. And who can blame him?

UEFA should have used the Eduardo dive as an opportunity to reconsider the introduction of video technology. There isn't a single sport that I think of that has introduced video replays that has been the worse off for it

Should football prove any different they could always get rid of it. But they simply won't know until they've tried it.