TEN YEARS have passed since an endurance athlete recreated his own Iron Man challenge on the Somerset Levels after he slept through his alarm on the morning of a big race.
Jody George lost two stone training for Challenge Weymouth, an Iron Man endurance competition involving a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride, and a 26.2-mile run.
However, at 3am on race day, he pressed 'snooze' on his alarm and woke up at 6am, missing the start line.
Speaking at the time, he said: "I went into shock, I normally set my alarm with three snoozes but in all the stress of the build-up to the race I’d forgotten to set it."
With £700 of sponsorship money pledged to charity, his fiancé PJ suggested he create his own challenge near home to replicate the Challenge Weymouth course and ensure that Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance didn't miss out on the funds he'd raised.
His new challenge, which he named the Zoy Villages Cider Man Triathlon, involved the same distances for each element.
On the Saturday, he swam in the River Sowy, near Othery, cycled 12 times around Westonzoyland, Middlezoy, and Burrowbridge, and then ran five laps around villages close to his home.
The challenge took him 15 hours, 57 minutes, and four seconds to complete and Jody admitted he enjoyed a pint of ale at the finish line.
In total, he raised over £1,600 for Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance.
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