Paul's Ironman Journey

On Sunday 30th June I achieved my goal of completing Ironman Austria, in a time of 12 hours and 38 minutes.The event consisted of a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike and a full 26.2 mile marathon to finish. It was a tough day but one of that brought great fulfilment in the company of family and friends.

I took on the challenge in support of the Haemochromatosis Society. Thanks to all who donated on the run up to the event, and helped me surpass my original goal of £500.

For those still wishing to donate, I thank you for your generosity. I will keep this page open until 31st July 2013 and I am now hopeful of acheiving £1000.

For those of you that have known me for a while you will appreciate that this is quite a transition from lifting heavy iron as a bodybuilder to racing Iron Distance Triathlon.
What you probably don't know is that I have the genetic marker to develop Haemochromatosis. This manifests itself as the body's inability to breakdown iron consumed through food consumption, which uncontrolled over a long period can lead to chronic medical issues. You could quite literally become an IronMan!
During my late father's bout of illness it was discovered that he had unusually high blood iron levels, and further investigation revealed both he and my mum are carriers of this faulty gene. I have inherited this gene from each of them.

I am currently fit and well and my iron levels are controlled through venosection ( like giving blood ) under the care of the great staff at Wirral University Hospital.

FACT : 1 in 200 people of Northern European origin are at risk of developing iron overload. Many people don't know they have the condition until permanent damage has been done.

That's why I am trying to raise awareness of this condition to ensure that people can be diagnosed early and their long term health optimised.

Please visit haemochromatosis.org.uk to find out more about the condition and the great work carried out by the society.