LMS Highways Director Completes Ironman UK

On the 14^th July 2019, 6am, two thousand rubber clad athletes perched on the edge of lake Pennington Flash just outside Bolton, each battling their own demons as they prepare for Ironman UK,  a 2.4 mile swim, a 112 mile bike ride and 26 mile run.

Paul’s comments on how he felt in that moment:

“Personally, I was worried that I may have bitten off more than I could chew and whether I had trained enough to get through the challenge ahead. Once the gun went off and I was in the water, the fear fell away, I felt myself get into a rhythm and in that moment I knew I’d get through it.”

Fourteen and half hours later Paul had crossed the finish line in 761st place out of 1,612. Now a few days on and after having some time to reflect Paul said:

“I’ve had a chance to reflect on the day and draw some parallels with my working environment. We’ve all heard of the 7 P’s (Proper Prior Planning Prevents P*** Poor Performance) and this hit home on training, when I dropped all my food for the bike leg and had to change where I stored my sandwiches! Similarly, in work we need to plan for success and make sure we monitor and deliver to that plan.

Whilst the event was a hard day, it was also the pinnacle of 9 months training, and on that day I sort comfort in the knowledge that I had trained for this moment, I had the skills and knowledge to get through the task in hand. Similarly, as a business we make sure that all our staff are trained and competent for the works they are carrying out, not only from a safety point of view but to also give them the confidence to deliver well every day.

And lastly, I figured out the biggest barriers in our way to success are the ones we build in our minds ‘I haven’t got time for a run today’ or ‘that project will never get completed this week.’ You can accomplish pretty much anything you put your mind to.”

Fancy the challenge? Register for next years Ironman here.