True Iron Man braves the elements in test of endurance

One of our Graduate Engineers recently finished in the top third of the Iron Man Wales Triathlon, renowned for being one of endurance sport’s toughest tests.

Nicholas Zglobis travelled to the Pembrokeshire coast to complete the 2.4-mile sea swim, 112-mile bike ride and 26.2-mile marathon run. He competed against 1,800 athletes from 40 countries and had to battle gruelling weather conditions to finish in just over 13 hours.

As the athletes entered the water for their sea swim at 7:00am, the heavens opened. The pouring rain stopped briefly only to start again during the bike race, which created challenging conditions on the twisting, coastal course.

There was a great atmosphere throughout the weekend as spectators lined the 140-mile course to cheer on all of the competitors for over 17 hours until the midnight cut-off. The event is said to bring an extra 10,000 people to the town of Tenby every September.

After a few days of rest and recuperation Nicholas looked back on the event, saying: “Personally, I really enjoyed the sea swim. Racing amongst nearly 2,000 people, with arms and legs powering through the sea as the sun rose. That was the standout experience from the day.”

Nicholas has been preparing for the event for some time, and since moving to Sheffield he has been cycling to work and training extensively throughout the spring and summer in the Peak District.

Our own Iron Man isn’t planning on taking it easy just yet, however. He is currently planning a 1,400km cycle tour of Iceland – although this will have to wait until summer 2014 allowing for skiing in the winter months.