While most people head to Hawaii for relaxation, Adam Elderfield, an emergency planning officer at Northwick Park Hospital, is gearing up for one of the toughest challenges of his life.
Adam will compete in the Iron Man World Championship after qualifying in his age category during a race in Italy.
The Iron Man World Championship attracts the best professional and age-group triathletes worldwide, with the top competitors completing the course in under eight hours.
This year marks the 47-year-old’s sixth race at this level, which includes a demanding sequence of events: a 2.3-mile swim, a 111-mile bike ride, and a 26.2-mile marathon.
“My advice to anyone getting into long-distance endurance events is get a good alarm clock,” says Adam, a father of two who starts his training every morning at 5 a.m.
A major concern for Adam is the heat in Hawaii. To prepare, he has been training in the recent hot weather and often ends his sessions with a sauna or a hot bath to acclimatize his body to the conditions he will face during the race.
Adam’s wife will be cheering him on, but he admits he often feels more exhausted than elated after crossing the finish line. “It does become something of an obsession, and I don’t want to see a bike or a swimming pool for a while after this.”
Chris Mitchell is the founder and editor of Harrow Online, Harrow’s leading local news platform.
He launched Harrow Online in 2010 as a Facebook page sharing local news and information. Since then, it has grown into a trusted source for breaking news, crime, council decisions, planning, transport, business and community stories across the borough.
Harrow Online reaches hundreds of thousands of readers each month and has a social media audience of more than 200,000 followers.
For news tips, press releases or enquiries, contact Chris at info@harrowonline.org.
