of Fools – that’s PSoF on the entry forms – under the unorthodox captaincy of Candy Ollier, last year unloaded 26 novices on to the shores of Lake Zurich for their inaugural appearance, at Ironman Switzerland. They rapidly won the attention

of expert coaching and relaxing holiday, training camps are often held in inspiring locations, from Switzerland or Provence, France, to the Forest of Dean. It's much easier to pull on those trainers when your training runs are along forest trails or dramatic

Ratbag at the Bala Tri in June 2005In summer 2004, more than 20 forum members pledged to take on Ironman Switzerland in July 2005 - that's a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile cycle and 26.2-mile run. Many of them - including Ratbag - were complete triathlon

, supporters, the weather, to name a few" —JoniJungfrau Marathon, Switzerland"It was SO different, and you really do have to stop and smell the flowers. There are magnificent waterfalls cascading off sheer cliffs, cows grazing in the meadows - complete with cow

, says Dr Philipp Kaufmann, a professor of cardiology in Switzerland. Here's what all this means for those of us who can't get out the door without a blast of the mean bean. The adenosine effectWorking at the University Hospital Zurich, Kaufmann and his

and exciting. It’s a real pleasure to go for a weekend break to Bala and then a mini holiday to Switzerland or Germany or Austria each year, because the people are great. The Story Behind The Name... The group’s name didn’t actually come about until some time

. "For Ironman Germany in 2006 and Ironman Switzerland in 2009, I obsessively looked at online course profiles and listened to banter about the races on the Runner's World forums. My training cycle loop has four climbs that matched those in the Ironman

year off from racing. 2010 winner Mirinda Carfrae from Australia is a favourite, but she’ll face tough competition from Switzerland’s Caroline Steffen, ‘Xena’, who claimed victories in Ironman Melbourne and Frankfurt this year, plus the ITU World Long

Rose and RichardM, friendly but steely rivals at the top end, had just three seconds between them on the bike leg. Strong, steady performances were marred for some by falls – Zilla, chasing IM Switzerland DNF demons, came off hard but continued

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