Paul Ward of Prestatyn - Iron Man

The rewards from committing more than 40 hours a week to unrelenting training to reach sufficient fitness levels to successfully confront and conquer some of the most demanding tests of human physical endurance, were relived by local master marathon man Paul Ward of Prestatyn in an enthralling talk at Faenol Fawr. Introduced by Senior vice-president Keith Roberts for what was his first experience of the relative nightmare of public speaking, the experienced athlete recounted some of his more notable moments since falling under the spell of the tantalising Triathlon which took popular hold in the UK in the late nineties. Drawn to the magnetic appeal of competing in the continuous triple disciplines of swimming 1,000 metres, cycling 112 miles and rounding off by running a marathon, all without a break, his dedicated fitness regime enabled him not simply to participate but to collect cherished medals at locations as far apart as Snowdon and Everest, including sweltering Nice, watched by 5,000 spectators in a 42 degrees heatwave. Progressing from the initially tough enough triathlon components to the more taxing Iron Man format of double the distances, he even completed a traumatic triple Iron Man event, entailing a swim of 4.8 miles, 220 miles on a bike and a two-marathon length run. Little wonder he finished the draining test with agonizing blisters reducing him to a snail’s pace finish. Despite these punishing moments and remorseless hours of preparation, the speaker confessed that he was still actively preparing to take on more such herculean challenges in the future, sustained by the unwavering support of his wife, family and enthusiastic mates. The warm thanks of the club were expressed by past President Roger Harrison-Jones, himself a former Welsh international athlete and veteran road-running devotee who said he had found the talk and the resultant achievements nothing short of spell-binding. President Rod Brocklehurst, who added his appreciation, announced that the next meeting of the club would be held on Tuesday March 7.