Rix Petroleum ironman helped to raise £20,000 for charity
Our very own Rory Beath, director of the Mercia depot, has helped raise more than £20,000 for a cancer charity by completing his first ever Ironman long distance triathlon.
Our very own Rory Beath, director of the Mercia depot, has helped raise more than £20,000 for a cancer charity by completing his first ever Ironman long distance triathlon.
Rory, 45, took part in the Ironman Wales earlier this month to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support.
The arduous challenge involved a 2.5 mile sea swim, a 112 mile bike ride, completed with a 26 mile run.
Rory completed the event in 14.5 hours placing 1,068 out of a total of 2,200 competitors.
The event follows on from the Tour de Rix, a bike ride which saw the staff here at Rix Petroleum, including Rory, cycle from Alnwick to Spalding over a five day period in July.
Together, the Tour de Rix and the Ironman Wales event have raised more than £20,000 for the national cancer charity.
Rory said: “The sea swim was very hard because it was so rough. During the swim the RNLI had to pull 267 competitors out of the water because they got into trouble, the waves were just battering everyone around and when I got out I was sea sick because it had been so bad.”
“The bike ride was hard too because it was so hilly, and much of the run was up hill which really takes it out of you. But I loved it and was really pleased to finish. It made all the training worthwhile.”
Rory said he was delighted with the money his efforts had helped raise.
“It is a fantastic figure” he said.
“Macmillan is Rix Petroleum’s charity of the year and we wanted to make sure we raised a good sum for them. Breaking the £20,000 mark is such a great achievement.”
He added he wanted to enter another Ironman but the next one wouldn’t be until 2016.
“I was training up to 18 hours a week towards the end, if I do that again too soon I’m pretty sure my wife would have something to say about it. I think I’ll leave it for a year or so,” he said.
