'I'm running an Ironman Triathlon at 60'
Ian Russell, an airline pilot from Hereford, is preparing to run his first Ironman Triathlon - at the age of 60.
Generally considered one of the toughest one-day races in the world, the event sees competitors swim 2.4 miles (3.9km), cycle 112 miles (180.2km) and then run a full marathon of 26.2 miles (42.1km).
"They use to say life begins at 40. Now, 60 is the new 40," said Mr Russell.
Although Mr Russell was a keen sportsman when he was younger - he lists climbing Mont Blanc and the Matterhorn among his achievements - work and family commitments had an impact on how active he could be.
He later took up running, before joining his local triathlon club.
Inspired by some of his fellow members who had taken part, last autumn Mr Russell signed up to the Ironman event in Tenby, Pembrokeshire, this September.
"What I didn't realise was that, although it's local and easy to get to, it's actually one of the toughest ones going," he said.
Since then, Mr Russell has invested in a coach and trains "most days" - but has suffered a couple of setbacks.
"I've had a big operation on my hand," he explained, "which took a few weeks to recover from. And then I broke my foot out training with the triathlon club.
"That took a good six to eight weeks to recover from.
"So I'm not starting from the best base."
He said that, while he was training hard, he was avoiding pushing himself too much.
"You might end up injuring yourself, which I can't afford now," he said. "So the idea is just to nurse my old creaking bag of bones through to get to the start line."
Mr Russell added he was worried about making a cut off, of two hours 20 minutes, to complete the swim.
"I'm definitely not a swimmer," he said. "If you don't make the cut off, you don't even get as far as the bike ride.
"All my main part of my training in my mind is revolving around getting through the swimming part. So at least I can get on a bike and… let Mother Nature and tailwinds take their course."
Despite this, the athlete said he had no regrets.
"I'm proving that age is no barrier to setting bold goals and achieving them," he added.
Follow BBC Hereford & Worcester on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Thousands 'face the dragon' at Ironman Wales
'World Ironman Championship will be a fun day out'
Man with hole in neck to compete in triathlon
Ironman
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
From 150kg and unable to swim a length to a 70-mile triathlon
Nine months ago, Owen Peddle was 23.5 stone, unhappy with how he looked and unable to swim a full length of a pool. Determined to make a change, he was inspired by two friends and signed himself up for the Swansea Ironman 70.3, a half-distance version of the Ironman triathlon. What faced him was a 1.2-mile swim, followed by a 56-mile bike ride and a 13.1-mile run, half-marathon distance, to finish. "The real win for me was getting myself to the start line," he said. "The actual event was the cherry on top." The race in Swansea arrived on 6 July, one of the hottest days of the year so far, and saw Mr Peddle cheered around the course by supporters shouting "Pedz" in 32C-heat. He finished in eight hours and 32 minutes. Mr Peddle, from Rogerstone, Newport, gained a huge social media following in the build up to the race as he shared his training on TikTok and Instagram, something he said helped keep him "on the straight and narrow". "I've never really trained this hard or applied myself to anything this much in my life," he said. The DJ and events manager was inspired by two of his closest friends completing a full-length Ironman in Tenby, Pembrokeshire, last September. "I was not happy with how I looked or who I was becoming, really" he said. "I just knew something needed to change." Mr Peddle, a former prop who quit rugby at 22, said he chose the event because it was a real challenge for him. "I couldn't do any of it to start," he said. "It's the most unnatural thing to swim, then bike, then run," he added. Even playing rugby from the age of 15, he had always "pretty heavy and pretty unfit". After he stopped training for rugby, his fitness levels dropped further. Trips to the gym yielded little result because he was not applying himself properly or enjoying himself. "I knew it was bad. I knew something had to change but it just didn't click until I saw that (Ironman) in Tenby." Working with his coach, he built up his strength and stamina gradually, losing four stone (25kg) over the course of his training. He started with 20-minute bike rides and 20-minute runs, alternating one minute running with three minutes of walking. "I was getting a bit anxious come Christmas time when I still hadn't run10km and biked over 40km and I hadn't swum the distance in one go," he said. But he put his faith in his coach and waited for the results to come. He was also conscious that he needed to be careful not to injure himself and was worried about his knees and hips in particular. "It was also about making sure I don't over-train. It was quite a delicate balance," he said. As the event approached, he was training close to 10 hours a week. Mr Peddle said the gradual reduction in weight as a result of his training had been much more sustainable than previous attempts to lose weight. "Slowly changing stuff for me worked really well," he said. "There's still a long way to go, but it's a nice start." In addition, it brought mental health benefits. "The mental clarity that comes with training 10 hours a week is brilliant," he said. Being confident he could complete the event at the start line was "the most important thing", he said. He felt "elated" crossing the finish line. "It was very emotional." "I'm definitely going to do something else like it again," he said. "In the future, not next year but in a couple of years, Tenby is on the list, so [is] the full Ironman," he said. Next year would be too soon, but "maybe 2027 or 2028", and he would also like to compete in the Ironman 70.3 event again, perhaps abroad. "I really do enjoy the training," he said. "I wouldn't want to go back to being the person I was, with no motivation and no drive." Man completes 70-mile hike carrying fridge-freezer Finding my love for roller derby changed my life The pioneering woman surfer in a sea of men
USA Today
2 days ago
- USA Today
Arizona Cardinals training camp: Player carted off field for second straight day Friday
On Friday, a cornerback battling for a starting job fell awkwardly and was carted off near the end of practice. For the second day in a row at training camp for the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium, a player went down and had to be carted to the locker room. On Friday, it wasn't the scary scene that it was on Thursday when linebacker J.J. Russell went down. On Friday, it was third-year cornerback Star Thomas V. Leaping high to defend a pass, Thomas landed awkwardly. He got up on his own and walked to the cart to take him to the locker room. The Cardinals will not practice on Saturday but will be back on the field on Sunday for a practice in front of only season ticket holders. Head coach Jonathan Gannon won't speak until then, so it will be a couple of days before we know whether or not it is anything serious. In the meantime, it will mean more reps for other guys battling for a roster spot and playing time. Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire's Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.
NBC Sports
2 days ago
- NBC Sports
In battle of top two juniors, Luke Colton beats Miles Russell to advance at U.S. Junior Amateur
It was a match fitting for a final, only it came two rounds earlier. Luke Colton, 18, from Frisco, Texas, and the second-ranked junior player in the country, took down top-ranked Miles Russell, 4 and 3, in Friday morning's quarterfinals of the U.S. Junior Amateur at Trinity Forest in Dallas. Colton collected seven birdies in 15 holes, including birdies at each of his final two to put away the 16-year-old Russell, who is also ranked No. 18 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking. Colton, No. 26 in WAGR, jumped on Russell early, making a long birdie putt from the fringe to win the par-3 third and go 2 up. Russell, who lipped out shots on each of his first two holes, would battle back, tying the match after six holes. After Russell drained a 30-footer for birdie at the par-4 ninth, Colton poured a 25-footer on top of him to tie the hole and turn at 1 up. He and Russell, both lefties, shot a best-ball, 6-under 30 on the front nine. To compare, the other three quarterfinals posted such marks of 33, 35 and 34. But Russell's putter would eventually cost him. He three-putted the par-3 11th from 12 feet for bogey to lose the hole and go 1 down. He later missed mid-range putts at Nos. 14 and 15 that could've extended the match. Colton now advances to Friday afternoon's semifinals, which start at 2 p.m. ET. He will face the winner of Hamilton Coleman and Sohan Patel; Coleman was 2 up through 16 holes. Texans have won eight of the last 25 U.S. Juniors with Noah Goodwin the most recent to do so, in 2017. Just two left-handers have won U.S. Junior titles – Brian Harman (2003) and Cory Whitsett (2007).
