Imperial ironman

PhD student Ned Yoxall (Physics)

PhD student Ned Yoxall (Physics) completes the Ironman Wales event to raise money for cystic fibrosis

On 16 September, PhD student Ned Yoxall (Physics) completed the Ironman Wales event, which took place in Tenby, Pembrokeshire. An Ironman is a long distance triathlon in which participants start with a 2.4-mile sea swim, followed by a 112-mile cycle, before finishing off with a marathon – a 26.2-mile run – all of which have to be completed within 17 hours. Ned took on the challenge to raise money for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust. He reports on his experience:

“I was galvanised into doing some fundraising when my cousin, who has Cystic Fibrosis, was put on the lung transplant list last autumn. An Ironman is one of those things that just seems completely ludicrous – surely it wasn’t possible, all in one day? But I wanted to do something big enough to attract sponsorship and, the more I looked into the practicalities of training for the event, the more I realised that you didn’t have to be a super athlete to finish. The key was in the training. For nearly eight months I’ve been swimming, cycling and running for anywhere between 10–20 hours a week, so by the time the big day came around, it felt like the tip of the iceberg. If anything, I was just glad that I wouldn’t have to be up at 06.00 on the weekend ever again! Things passed off mostly without a hitch, barring a trio of punctures and some stomach problems on the run, and I was delighted to finish in 13 hours 45 minutes.”

Support Ned here