A KNOWLE man has put himself through the paces and completed a super-triathlon to raise thousands of pounds for charity.
Kevin Justice took on the mammoth task – consisting of a 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike ride with a half marathon to end – in the inaugural Ironman 70.3 event to raise over £2,800 for charity.
Completing the challenge in 5 hours 44 minutes and 56 seconds, the local finance worker not only beat his target time of six hours, but also smashed his initial fundraising target of £2,500.
The 37-year-old father of two took part in the grueling race as part of Gordon Ramsay’s GR100 team which aims to raise £2 million over two years for the Gordon Ramsay Foundation which supports five charities – Cancer Research UK, Scottish Spina Bifida Association, Louis Dundas Centre for Children’s Palliative Care, Action Against Hunger and Meningitis Now.
Speaking about the race, Kevin said while he had completed a number of shorter triathlons in the past, this was his hardest challenge yet.
He added: “I was prompted to take part in the Ironman after I saw an interview with Gordon Ramsey in which he was talking about the race.
“It looked like a new challenge for me and one that could raise money for charities close to my heart.
“I lost my grandfather to cancer and have had friends affected by it, and as the father of two small children to see that my money rasied was going to charities including Cancer Research UK and the Louis Dundas Centre was another push for me to take part.”
Now having completed the race, the family man has become an inspiration to his young children.
“My four-year-old, Harry, has decided he wants to do a triathlon, while my three-year-old, Tom, has told me he wants to jump in at the deep end and take on an Ironman.
“Really I just wanted to show them the importance of an active lifestyle and prove that if you work hard you don’t have to win, but you can accomplish things you didn’t think you could.
“Special thanks also need to go out to my wife, Ruth, and my mother for being so supportive throughout my training – I couldn’t have done it without them.
Donations can still be made to Kevin’s Just Giving page at www.justgiving.com/kevin-justice-ironman
