Nicholas Russell, Managing Director or Balbirnie House Hotel, and who’s patisserie team are currently featured on this season’s The Great British Bake Off:The Professionals has completed his seventh Ironman Challenge.
Taking place in Austria earlier in the month, 56-year-old Russell successfully crossed the finish line in 15 hours and 41 minutes, following a 3.8km swim in open water, followed by a 180km cycle – which includes a climb into the Austrian Alps – achieving a height 450 metres higher than Ben Nevis – followed by a 42.2km marathon.
The race is a monumental challenge which is considered the jewel in the crown of European Triathlon sport, and successful competitors must cross the finish line within 17 hours.
A member of the 81-member Glenrothes Triathlon Club since 2014, Russell has been an active proponent of the club, and Club Founder Steven McEwan has called the 2024 achievement ‘absolutely unbelievable.’
Nicholas said, “It has been such an honour to represent the club and successfully complete seven Ironman challenges in a row. My ongoing training over the decade has taken me significantly further than the entire 40,075 kilometres of Planet Earth, and I have certainly counted my many blessings in being able to proceed, every single 100 metres of the journey’.