Brackley dad attempts to smash longest single event triathlon
A dad hopes he has set a new world record after he ran, swam and cycled the equivalent distance of 516km (321 miles) in just over 38 hours. Tony Hopkin from Brackley, Northamptonshire ran 100 laps of his local lake, swam nearly 16km (10 miles) at Pitsford Reservoir and cycled just over 400km (249 miles).His attempt to break the current record of 407.4km (253.1 miles) for the longest single-event triathlon also raised £5,830 for a local education charity.He should find out if he has officially taken the title within about six months, once Guinness World Records has assessed his claim.
Mr Hopkin was tracked by GPS watches and bike computers, and filmed at every point while timekeepers logged his activities and "independent witnesses" observed the whole thing.Speaking about the running element, he said: "I kept going the same way, so I now have probably got one leg shorter than the other."He was allowed brief, five-minute stops as long as it kept "within the spirit of the competition," he explained."So I couldn't stop for five minutes, ride for a minute and then stop for another five, it had to be a decent distance in between."Mr Hopkin, who only started doing triathlons two years ago, said not sleeping was the hardest part and at some points he felt like he was hallucinating.
The triathlete decided to also use the event to raise money for Northampton-based New Leaf Learning, which supports one of his children.It offers a nature-based, connection-focused provision for children who are not currently engaging in learning in mainstream schools."They give them strategies to cope with everyday life and also engage with education," he said.His added his priorities now were catching up on sleep and spending time with his children.
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