This Sunday heralds the return of one of the UK's most prestigious endurance triathlons; Ironman UK. This is the only officially branded Iron distance event in England. More than 1,500 triathletes will be speeding through Lancashire's countryside

gears a few meters before the ascent. But when the gradient got too steep—I could hear my heart pounding in my ears because of the effort—and gravity threatened to topple me, I unclipped and joined a procession of about eight age groupers off their bikes

of 4:19, Rachel was well and truly hooked. Numerous races and half-marathon campaigns later, Rachel is now focusing on triathlon and gearing up for Ironman Switzerland this July. Ironman success stands and falls on entrants' pacing, so Rachel can't wait

advice anyone could give you when you're attempting the Alpe d'Huez Triathlon. The race was started four years ago by French triathlete and ITU 2002 World Long Distance Champion Cyrille Neveu. He used to invite friends to train with him in the area

also to Wrecsam Triathlon Club for organising such a brilliant event. The marshalling, aid stations, policing and support on the course was fantastic and they should be congratulated on a great event. Nice race memento of a fluffy black towel - very

Not to be missed: Pirates swamped the city of FrankfurtNever underestimate the demands of being a supporter; it takes as much commitment as participating in an event but there are no medals to show for it. Whether it’s a 5K run or an Ironman

determination saw steady progress. As for running, I have been a runner for over 20 years but I’ve only ever entered about five races in this time. In fact the most competitive running I had done was the three triathlons leading up to Ironman; and the Ironman