Publish date: 14 August 2023
Gordon Richmond will be (literally) packing up his pedals and heading over to Lahti in Finland later this month for the World Half Ironman Triathlon Championships on 27 August.
While the Blackpool Teaching Hospitals cardiac physiologist has several ironman and half-ironman events already under his belt, he’s delighted to have secured a place in the world championships. He achieved this by qualifying in the half-ironman event at Nice in June but he’s something of a veteran, having been doing triathlons since 2015.
A member of Bolton-based PeakXV Tri club, Gordon’s training schedule includes two swims, two runs and two cycles to keep in top condition for the event, a regime taking up about 12 hours a week.
n Finland, the cycling element will be on hilly terrain which is another challenge to factor in as he aims for a personal best.
Flying to Finland involves dismantling his preferred bike – one of five – so that it can be taken as luggage, but aside from that he’s looking forward to the trip to Scandinavia.
Gordon’s partner, Hayley, and family are going along to cheer him on and the organisers have arranged an “IronKids” mini event which may inspire daughters Annabel and Charlotte to follow in their dad’s footsteps.
Just a week after competing at Lahti, Gordon will be back on the road taking part in Ironman Wales. Luckily, Gordon doesn’t mind the lack of downtime. He says: “I find the training is great for helping to de-stress and enjoying the peace and scenery, it’s so good for helping with work/life balance."
