Hospital Iron Man heads for Hawaii
The majority of people head to Hawaii for some R&R but not emergency planning officer Adam Elderfield.
Adam will be pushing himself to the limit as a competitor in the annual Iron Man World Championship after qualifying in his age category at an earlier race in Italy.
The competition brings together the best male professional and age group triathletes from around the world with the best of the best completing the course in under eight hours.
It will be the 47-year-old’s sixth race over the distance comprising of a gruelling back-to-back 2.3m swim, 111-mile bike ride and 26.2 mile marathon.
“My advice to anyone getting into long distance endurance events is get a good alarm clock,” says the father of two who rises at 5am every morning during his current training schedule.
One of Adam’s biggest concerns is the heat.
The recent hot weather has offered ideal training conditions’ and he often finishes his sessions with a sauna or sitting in a hot bath for 20 minutes.
His wife will be cheering him on but he admits to feeling more exhausted than elated whenever he crosses the finishing line.
“It does become something of an obsession and I don’t want to see a bike or a swimming pool for a while after this.”
We wish Adam all the best on October 26. May the wind be at his back.