Mewis show his Iron will to complete triathlon

TRIATHLON

A STRATFORD athlete completed his first Ironman event at the age of 31 – and then set his sights on a World Championship place.

Marc Mewis, sales and marketing manager at Wildmoor Spa and Health Club in Stratford, competed in the 30-35 age category in the Tenby Ironman, Wales, last month.

Ironman is a triathlon consisting of a 2.4 mile swim in the sea, a 112-mile bike ride, and then a marathon run of 26.2 miles. It must be completed on one day in a time within 17 hours.

The event originated in Hawaii in the 1980s. It’s classed as one of the hardest sporting days in the world and attracts competitors in various age groups including professional athletes.

Mewis, who studied sports science and management at the University of Birmingham, clocked one hour 23 minutes for the swim, seven hours 36 minutes for the cycling, and four hours 45 minutes for the marathon to finish overall in 14 hours 15 minutes.

“The swim came first, then the cycling and finally the running,” said Mewis. “The swim on North Beach in Tenby started at 7am and I completed it in one hour 23 minutes.

“Then we went to transition, a one kilometre run to collect the bike, and get changed. The bike route went through Pembrokeshire, and we faced 45 mph winds, cycling to the top of the Narberth Mountains. The route was 112 miles but the climb was around 7,000 feet which is why it’s classed as the third toughest race on the Ironman seasonal calendar.

“The marathon started in the town centre and then went 26.2 miles into the countryside.

“There are 65 spots available for the world championships in Hawaii so my ambition is to qualify eventually for the world event in the 40 to 45 year category over the next ten years.”

More athletics in next week's Herald.