Well, I finished!
On August 2nd 2009 I managed to get to the end of the Ironman UK in Bolton in a total time of 13 hours 44 minutes and 3 seconds.
The event consists of a 3.8km (2.4 mile) open water swim, 180km (112 mile) bike and 42km (26 mile) run. Thats like swimming 152 lengths in the pool in Birmingham, cycling to London then running the Marathon, all in one day and all non-stop!
The weekend started muddy and very wet but the organisers and volunteers did a great job of getting it under way. I exited the swim slower than I'd liked (1 hour 32 mins) but the general consensus was that it was a bit longer than planned! After a 10 minute transition, the bike started cold, hilly and gusty, but the huge amount of support from the locals and fans really helped me push through. Pretty soon the sun came out and I now have the worst farmers tan to prove it! The run started with me feeling suprisingly fresh and I managed to keep up a gentle pace to finish the marathon in just over 4 hours 30 mins, not bad for my first and after almost 115 miles of prior effort!
Thanks for all your generosity so far. At the moment Im just under my target to raise £1000 for Camp Quality UK. The charity provides life-changing holidays for children with a potentially life-limiting condition that has a significant impact on their daily lives, including cancer. With a final effort Im hoping to finish the event properly and hit that target, so please sponsor me now!
