The journey to the finish line at Ironman France - Part 1

        
 
 Simon Griffiths of Tzero is profiling Alex's Ironman progress over the coming months. Here is Part 1:

Alex Hinton this week began his ironman training programme in preparation for the iconic triathlon in Nice on 27 June 2010. The event requires Alex to swim 2.4 miles in the ocean, cycle 112 mountainous miles and run a 26.2 mile marathon. To prepare for this, Alex, who works for Royal Bank of Scotland, will train for between 12 and 20 hours per week. Alex, who grew up in Sussex, currently lives near Richmond, Surrey.

Fortunately Alex has a good track record in endurance racing having previously rowed across the Atlantic and trekked to the North Pole. The Ironman challenge is different because it is a sole effort combining three demanding sports. Additionally, although Alex is a strong cyclist and has completed several marathons in the past, he needs to significantly improve his swimming to be competitive.

Alex’s coach, Fiona Ford of Triathlon Europe, who finished in the top ten women overall in the 2007 race, says, “Ironman is a fantastic challenge because even though it combines the three disciplines of swimming, cycling and running, it is a totally different sport to shorter distance triathlons and you can never really predict performance under those extreme conditions. However, if Alex prepares diligently and manages his nutrition and hydration properly on the day, he could be in contention for a good age-group placing.”

Tzero will be following Alex’s progress over the next five months and posting regular updates on http://tzero-tri.com/2010/01/18/ironman-training-journey-to-ironman-france-part-1/.

Tzero is dedicated to helping triathletes and endurance athletes improve their performance and enjoyment of their sport and through sharing their knowledge and experience.

For more information on Tzero, please contact Simon Griffiths at simon@tzero-tri.com