By Sarah Charlotte Drew
Six Spalding Triathlon Club members recently took on the mammoth challenge of attempting the Iron Man Bolton 2015 event.
Alistair Rudd, Jamie Graham, Jack Carpenter, Steve Thompson, Christian Olsen and Alex Olsen took on a 2.4 mile swim and a 112 mile, two-loop journey from Pennington Flash – which saw them take in the breathtaking Lancashire countryside.
The 26.2 mile run started at Macron Stadium and took the athletes though Bolton town centre, where they completed three loops of a circuit before finishing in Victoria Square in the shadow of the Albert Hall.
This colossal race, which takes place in one day without a break, is considered the hardest one-day race of all time.
The First Spalding tri club member to cross the line was Carpenter with a time of 13.03.57hrs in what was his first Iron Man race. He used the race as an opportunity to raise money for SCOPE, a UK disability charity working with disabled people and their families in England and Wales.
So far, he has raised £806 – but there is still time to make a donation at uk.virginmoneygiving.com/JCdoescharity.
Thompson was the next member over the line in 13.18.54hrs. He started with a steady swim to save energy for the other two disciplines.
However, he struggled with overheating on the bike, sustained a puncture and dropped his chain twice. Still, after a hard run his time was still impressive.
Thompson said: “Overall I was disappointed with my time but happy to finish.”
Graham was next in, finishing in a time of 13.51.46hrs.
Further back, Alex Olsen (15.04.20hrs) crossed the line minutes before his father Christian (15.06.31hrs).
Alex said: “The run was a lot harder than I thought it would be, I’ve run a reasonably quick marathon before but my legs just wouldn’t work after the bike.”
The father and son duo spent roughly 10 miles together on the run before Alex overtook him and went it alone.
Unfortunately, Rudd found the challenge too much. After swimming for over an hour and spending 6.45.16hrs on the bike, he had to withdraw during the run.
He said: “After 15 years of triathlon my good fortune ended midway through the marathon.
“I had to withdraw for the first time during any race, so hopefully I can fight another day.”
