Resident Yorkshireman Martyn Edwards achieved an amazing accomplishment on Sunday when he completed one of the toughest multi discipline events on the planet.
The Patagonia Xtreme Ironman, otherwise known as the Patagonman Triathlon, is a grueling event in Chile covering a total distance of 225 kilometres (140 miles) in one of the most breathtaking natural settings in the world.
Starting at the head of the Aysén Fjord, close to Puerto Chacabuco, the event got underway at first light with a 3.8km (2.2 miles) swim off the stern of a passenger ferry.
The cycle was 180km (112 miles) along the famous Carretera Austral, reaching a maximum height of 1,000 metres (3,280ft), ending with a marathon distance run of 42.2km through canyons, next to lakes and waterfalls to the finish alongside the impressive General Carrera Lake.
The area is known for its variety of wildlife, including sea otters, sea lions, whales, dolphins, foxes and even pumas.
All competitors must have a support person to assist them throughout the race, and the Ramsey man had his wife Helen and son Max assisting him. Helen actually ran the final 10km with him.
The 55-year-old Ramsey resident, who owns the Mace convenience store at Ballawattleworth in Peel, finished 85th overall (72nd male) from a field of 100 finishers (182 registered for the event, but there were many retirements).
Martyn’s overall time for the extremely challenging race was 14hr 55min 39sec and his splits were 1:10.18 for the swim (64th best), followed by a 15 minute transition, then 7:23.02 for the cycle (73rd) and a 12 minute transition, finishing with a time of 5:40.34 for the marathon, much of it on gravel lakeside tracks and roads (ranked 110th).
Commenting earlier this week he said: ‘I was so pleased with my time. The whole day and the experience was incredible.’