In August, Neil MacGregor, teacher of boys’ sport at the Buchan School, the junior school for King William’s College on the Isle of Man took part in one of the most challenging events in the country, ‘Ironman UK’, and became the first person from the Isle of Man to gain a podium position.
The Ironman triathlon involves swimming 2.4 miles, cycling 112 miles and running a full 26.2 mile marathon. This year’s event took place in Bolton, Lancashire, where 1500 competitors from all over the world strived to complete 140.6 miles in total. As if that isn’t enough, the winner in each age category receives automatic entry into ‘Ironman Hawaii’ in October so he can do it all over again!
Intensive training over the course of a year paid off and Neil finished in an impressive third place for his age category and second out of the UK competitors. Although he didn’t achieve his ultimate ambition of competing in ‘Ironman Hawaii’, Neil was pleased with his results:
“I realised it was a long shot, but I had dedicated a year of my life to gaining a slot in ‘Ironman Hawaii’. When the day came, I was just happy to be able to take part in such a fantastic event and to be the first from the Isle of Man to gain a podium position in the Ironman challenge was an added bonus. I really enjoyed the thrill of competing and haven’t completely ruled out having another shot at Hawaii next year”.