A Shropshire IT engineer has achieved his dream after completing his first Ironman triathlon in just over 12 hours.
Andy Perry, 41, of Church Stretton, first decided he wanted to do an Ironman when he was at school and his Duke of Edinburgh teacher showed a video of the championships in Hawaii.
Years later he completed the slightly less exotic Ironman Wales in Pembrokeshire in 12 hours, 16 minutes and 51 seconds.
He said: “Ever since I was young it’s been on my bucket list and being 40 last year I had a small midlife crisis and thought I could recapture my youth – and I couldn’t afford a Porsche.
“The male 40-45 age category is the largest one – I wonder why!”
An Ironman involves a 2.4 mile swim, which Mr Perry completed in one hour, one minute and 42 seconds, a 112 mile bike ride which he finished in six hours, 30 minutes and 39 seconds, followed by a marathon, which Mr Perry ran in four hours, 23 minutes and 45 seconds.
Mr Perry, who works for Shrewsbury-based Network Support Solutions, which offers a range of IT services, products and support services, followed a 30 week training programme.
He added: “I did the ‘just get round’ programme that was about 10 hours training a week towards the end.
“I’m not too bad a swimmer, so that was ok. Biking is ‘my sport’ so I just had to build up the mileage. Running is an entirely different story and very alien to me. I can do it but only at two speeds – stop and go.”
Mr Perry said the hardest part was the amount of organisation required to do a triathlon.
“There is lots of kit required to be put in lots of coloured bags,” he said. “The organisers have to keep everything running smoothly in transition when 2,000 people are all looking for their bike so there is a place for everything and everything in its place.
“Another hard point was nutrition. I suffer from a dodgy tummy when eating and exercising for a long time so had to find energy foods that didn’t make it worse.
“I met a South African guy right at the end of the bike leg and we chatted for a bit.
“I had been so focused on just finishing the bike ride and then he said to me; “Wow, I just feel like going for a run and fancy a marathon, how about you?
“I nearly cried – I had just not thought about the run until that point and it overwhelmed me for a second.”
But Mr Perry said the crowds in Tenby really spurred him on.
“I have not previously taken part in an event where the whole place just comes out to support and will you on,” he said.
“There wasn’t a option to stop running. Because they put your name on the race number everybody just shouts your name at as you run by – fantastic motivation.”
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