A LOCAL athlete has passed the halfway point of his extreme daily ‘triathlonesque’ challenge, and is showing no signs of slowing down.
Runner, cyclist and swimmer Jim Plunkett-Cole has now completed the equivalent of over 193 sprint triathlons (750m swim, 20km cycle and 5km run) since January; more than halfway towards his goal of doing one a day for an entire year to raise money for Positive Action on Cancer (PAC). He has also completed a 10km run for over 963 days in a row, and will complete his 1,000-day task at the Mells Scenic 7 in September.
Jim, who will also be taking part in the Frome Half Marathon, said, “The challenge is going really well. I do get sore, achey and tired, but I really enjoy it, which is the most important thing.
“It definitely doesn’t get any easier. As you get better you go faster but the time differences are so negligible you don’t actually save any effort!
“The thing I am enjoying the least is finding the time to do the challenges. I work full-time and run my own business, so squeezing in two to three hours of exercise as well as keeping on top of daily life is really quite stressful. I’ve had favours from friends who cut my grass or do the dishes, which is a massive help.”
Jim completes at least a 10km run, 20km cycle, and 750m swim every day. He started with a 400m swim but was told that a sprint triathlon has a minimum of 750m swim so has adjusted the distance accordingly, and will complete the swims for a year to the day he increased the distance.
Jim tries to compete as much as possible; he took part in the Bowood triathlon last week and will be running in the Frome Half Marathon this weekend.
He said, “I have to be careful I don’t knacker myself in races, but it’s hard not to push myself. Everyone else is doing their best so it’s natural to be competitive. I try to remember that I’ll have to get up and do it again the next day, and the day after that.
“I’m doing this as a personal challenge as well as to raise money for charity, but really I want to encourage more people to be physically active. I started a group called K365 alongside the task, which challenges people to do some form of exercise every day for a year – there are over 80 people still doing it, which is amazing.
“People have asked what my exit strategy is, and I’ve decided I’ll finish when I have run for one day longer than Forrest Gump did! Somebody calculated that he must have run for 1,169 days in a row. When I reach day 1,170 I will be satisfied!”
Jim runs with his nine year old border collie Alfredo, who he estimates has completed over 850 of the 10km runs alongside him. The pair of them and friend Neil Taylor, Jim says, managed to help raise £21,000 for PAC in 2013.
Jim extends his thanks to sponsors HUUB.
To donate to this year’s fundraising attempt visit www.justgiving.com/Jim-Plunkett-Cole1.