THE ULTIMATE TRIATHLON
An ordinary man, an extraordinary challenge
The Ultimate Triathlon was a project I attempted between 2007 and 2009. The challenge was to complete three of the toughest endurance events in the world - to swim the English Channel, cycle the Tour de France route, and to run the Marathon des Sables.
Unfortunately, I was unsuccessful. I attempted to swim the Channel in September of 2008, and swam for over 14 hours, but came up short of the French coast. In June of the next year,I rode the first 8 stages of the 2009 Tour de France route, but was unable to complete the ninth stage due to sickness and stopped. In light of the two failures, I decided not to continue with the Marathon des Sables in 2010.
Despite the ultimate failure of the project, I carry with me immense memories from the experiences I went through and the people I met. It was an incredible few years and I leave this website here to remind me of the experience. I also hope that it might be useful to someone out there, particularly any Channel hopefuls, who might be able to find something useful from reading through the archive page of my Channel swim training.
I haven't completely given up on the idea of completing the Ultimate Triathlon, but right now I am working on a new project, an attempt at a long distance cycle tour. Cycle touring is something that I absolutely love, and something I only found through my training for the Tour de France.