He only entered the race it in May of this year, and although already pretty fit with the amount of road biking and other activities he's done over the past year or two - this was a whole other level of intensity.
Like I described it to the boys, it was like Uncle James swimming from our house to school and back twice, then jumping on the bike and riding all the way to Whanganui and then running from our house all the way to Upper Hutt. When you put it in terms like that, it seems utterly incredible and a feat of incredible stamina and endurance.
An Ironman Triathlon is one of a series of long-distance triathlon races organized by the World Triathlon Corporation (WTC) consisting of a 2.4-mile (3.86 km) swim, a 112-mile (180.25 km) bicycle ride and a marathon 26.2-mile (42.2 km) run, raced in that order and without a break. It is widely considered one of the most difficult one-day sporting events in the world.
Most Ironman events have a strict time limit of 17 hours to complete the race. The race typically starts at 7:00 a.m.; the mandatory swim cut off for the 2.4-mile (3.9 km) swim is 9:20 a.m. (2 hours 20 minutes), the mandatory bike cut off time is 5:30 p.m. (8 hours 10 minutes), and the mandatory marathon cut off is midnight (6 hours 30 minutes). Any participant who manages to complete the triathlon within these timings becomes an ironman.
We are so incredibly proud of you James! And a big cheer for your amazing support crew Ann-Marie, Jack and Mum and Dad.
P.S. Thanks to Ann-Marie for the pictures I stole off your Facebook too!
