1500m swim, 40km ride and a 10km run all before 9.30am

“Seven months of hard training had all come down to this.”

“Bobbing up and down in the Victoria docks at 6.30 on a sunny Sunday morning surrounded by 400 other competitors. Each of us no doubt, wondering why we had signed ourselves up to this in the first place.

My friend John and I made are way over to the far right side to try and find some free space to avoid the initial rush that always happens at the beginning of a race. As we treaded water the thirty-second countdown was announced and the nerves set in along with the realisation of what was ahead of me (1500m swim, 40km bike ride ending with a 10km run).

The klaxon went and I struggled to gain ground in the sea of arms and legs. The human blender made swimming almost impossible and I couldn’t break away from the people around me. Frustration was setting in as my stroke was constantly being interrupted by elbowing and kicking from every side. As we turned the corner for the home stretch the pack spread out and I was finally able to get a decent stroke going.

Tiredness was setting in already and this course definitely felt longer than the courses I had trained on. The ramp out of the water was in sight and as I turned the corner a welcome hand was thrust forward to help me out. I staggered to my feet and ran towards the first transition point, not before struggling out of my wetsuit. My family in the crowd cheered me on as I went past.

Inside I eventually found where I had racked my bike and quickly put on my cycling gear, then headed for the bike exit. The bike course consisted of two laps with the second, the longer of the two, taking us all the way up towards Westminster. The course was quick and had an excellent backdrop of the south bank (although I didn’t spend much time sight seeing). I used the bike leg sensibly and fuelled up on energy drinks and gels. Sticking with a group of three other riders we used each other to push forward.

The second lap came to an end and I rode up the bank into the Excel Centre, jumping off the bike I ran towards my allocated spot, dumped the bike and put my running shoes on, then straight out onto the running course. My legs were like lead weights, although I had made reasonably good time on the swim and bike at this point there was no way I had a 10km run left in me. I got my head down and into a comfortable stride.

The course was two laps along the dock, which was long enough, but wasn’t helped by the fact you were constantly reminded of how long you had left simply by looking across the dock. I trudged on with the sun getting hotter, making sure I stayed hydrated. It started to become a mental battle as I had to will my feet in front of each other. The crowds along the route were a great motivator especially when some of them are your family and friends and the cheers kept me going. Fifty minutes into the run the finish line was in site. Up the ramp again and into the Excel Centre. Unfortunately I didn’t have enough energy to put in an impressive sprint finished but managed to cross the line in 2 hours and 42 minutes and it was still only 9.30 on a Sunday morning.

At points during the race I did question why I was doing this but having completed it now there is a great sense of achievement particularly towards the money I raised for the charity, ‘Epilepsy Research UK’, which means a lot to me and my family.

I would like to thank all the people that supported and sponsored me especially my family and friends. Also a big thanks to my girlfriend who has put up with me disappearing off down the gym for most of the past 7 months.

Come back soon to find out what next year’s challenge will be, any suggestions drop me an email (sensible ones only John + Darren).”