Lawyers are a pretty active bunch, judging by the constant stream of press releases that Obiter receives each week about marathons, fun runs, parachute jumps, abseils off tall buildings and the like. Only a handful stand out, it has to be said. Solicitor Louise Clowes of Manchester firm Betesh Fox is one of those select few, as she is currently undertaking her final preparations for the Ironman UK 2006 event taking place on 20 August. This is a long-distance triathlon consisting of a 2.4 mile swim, a 112 mile bike ride and a 26.2 mile marathon, all of which must be completed within 17 hours. Ms Clowes is far from the first lawyer to have tackled this event or similar challenges, but what makes her unusual is that she must be the first to have done so just 12 months after breaking her back in a car crash. She spent two weeks on a spinal bed in North Staffordshire Royal Infirmary after the incident, and a further two months in a spinal brace. She is to feature in a planned TV documentary about novice triathletes, and is raising money for the charities BASIC and ASPIRE.