A Frome man will tackle the ‘hardest’ challenge of his life next month, completing five Ironman events in five days for three charities.
Ben Hansell will begin the challenge on 13th April, swimming 2.4 miles, cycling 112 miles, and running 26.2 miles every day for five consecutive days.
He said, “I am petrified to be honest. It will be by far the hardest thing I have ever done. I will probably be exercising from start to finish for 14 to 18 hours a day as the week goes on. I will start swimming at 6am and I imagine I will be finished 9/10pm.”
Ben is raising funds for three charities – cancer counselling charity We Hear You (WHY), local mental health charity Big Moose, and children’s cancer charity Morgan’s Army.
“One of the biggest challenges I am anticipating throughout the event is not getting enough sleep,” said Ben. “I have been told it will be hard to sleep because you are just so wired. Getting enough rest will be hard.”
He will complete each leg of each Ironman in and around Frome. “I will swim at Bath Uni, then cycle back to Frome. I will base myself out of Pronto Bikes, ride around Frome and Westbury and then come back to Frome, leave my bike and run round Frome parkrun for 33 laps. I am hoping that people will come and join me for bits.”
Ben has taken on other endurance events for charity, including a double Ironman last year – swimming 4.8 miles, cycling 224 miles, and running 52.4 miles in a total of 39 hours.
“There is a lot to do. I am a full-time gardener at an estate in Bradford-on-Avon so it is hard fitting it all in, but you can just do what you can. I swim twice a week. I swim six km a week, then run two or three times a week. At the moment my long run is at the weekend and I will run for three or four hours and cycle two or three times a week with a long ride at the weekend which is, at the moment, five or six hours.”
“I get to this stage now where I just want to get on with it. I am worried, I have never taken on a challenge like this before. The thing I love about these challenges is I love the mental side of it. People can do a lot if they put their mind to it and are mentally strong as well as physically strong.”
To support Ben’s campaign, visit his fundraising page https://shorturl.at/BMInw
