MULTISPORT
Ed ’ s Pick April 2020
The Home Ironman Experience A . K . A . My First Triathlon
Can a marathon runner complete a full Ironman on the back of running training alone , with no previous bike or swim training ? I used the COVID-19 lockdown to reinvent conventional stupidity by attempting a backyard Home Ironman for charity . This is the epic tale of exactly what happened , and how I raised over R42,000 for Just The One Foundation .
– BY STUART MANN , A . K . A . THE RUNNING MANN
It was a dark and stormy night . It was a dark and
stormy morning too . In fact , the whole damn week had been dark and stormy . Still , I had no-one but myself ( and some bat-eating bastard in Wuhan ) to blame for the predicament I now faced . On the coldest , wettest and most miserable day of the year , I was the idiot who ’ d be attempting a Home Ironman as his first ever triathlon .
Announcing my latest crazy idea
For the uninitiated that ’ s :
• a 3.86km swim ( in an ice-cold pool with only a speedo and my hairy legs to protect me ),
• a 180.25km exercise bike ride ( on a butt softer than a Super Rugby disciplinary panel on New Zealand players ), and
• a standard 42.2km marathon ( up and down my ridiculously steep driveway ).
This seemed like a good idea just after South Africa ’ s lockdown began a week earlier , when I audaciously announced on social media , “ Despite not owning a bike , nor having swum lengths in 15 years , I ’ ll attempt a full Home Ironman next Saturday in aid of Education .” Fortunately , I have run a few marathons , so at least I had that bit covered , but still … Damn you social media !
The cause I chose to ‘ race ’ for was Just the One Foundation , a charity that I have personally supported for 13 years , which provides full educational bursaries for high aptitude learners from currently underprivileged backgrounds through the Alexandra Education Committee . This enables high aptitude children , who would otherwise not have access to a decent education , to reach their potential . All 100 % of the money goes to the learners ’ education , and they also receive extra tutoring and support . They have achieved spectacular results , and both of the learners I ’ ve sponsored through high school passed matric with an ‘ A ’ aggregate .
Images : Courtesy Stuart Mann
28 ISSUE 136 DECEMBER 2020 / www . modernathlete . co . za