Barry dares to take on grueling triathlon

LOCAL athlete, Barry Trevor-Roberts, has pushed himself to the limits to ensure he excels at the Norseman Extreme Triathlon in Norway, one of the top three most difficult triathlons in the world.

The accomplished sportsman has taken part in various sporting events and chose to enter the grueling 226km race. “I really enjoy doing extreme sports, 100 milers, circuit races and this was just a new challenge for me,” said Barry.

He is the only South African to take part in this year’s event and felt that he was one of the lucky ones to be selected. “It is a huge opportunity and I was very fortunate to get a place. You send through your past experience and it works on a lottery system, and there is a 7 per cent chance on average of getting a place in the event,” said a humbled Barry.

The committed father of two has opted to train in the mornings before his children are awake and after they have gone to bed. He trains six days a week, sometimes twice a day. He cycles at the Cadence Cycle Performance Centre in Hillcrest during the week due to time constraints and on weekends cycles between 70 to 180km on the roads. He wakes up to swim at Hillcrest High School at 4.30am twice a week and sometimes on the weekends. He then laces up to run three times a week and on the weekend.

The race starts on 6 August but he will fly up on 30 July to acclimatise and to ensure that his bike arrived safely and that all of his race equipment is in working order. The demanding triathlon should take between 16 to 18 hours to complete but with his countless hours of training behind him, Barry is hoping to finish the race in 13 to 14 hours. “I looks forward to taking part in the challenges from the jumping off of a ferry into a fjord where the temperature ranges from between 10 to 14 degrees. We will all be wearing full wetsuits with socks and neoprene caps,” said Barry.

The swim is 3.8 km where they do a quick change, climb onto their bikes and cycle 180km over a mountain range. “It’s a 2500m ascent and it’s very cold up there. We will finish the event with a 42km marathon,” said Barry.

His biggest concern, he said, would be the swim as there is no facility to train in the cold in Durban. “Fortunately we have lots of hills and I can do a lot of hill training for the cycle and the run,” he said.

Each participant will have their own seconding team, who will set up and clear up the equipment between each leg of the race as well as keep them hydrated and energised. “I’m taking my wife, Paula, and the other member of the team is Judd Bard, a friend who lives in Norway.

After some research he found that the most difficult part is the running section, as race organisers only allow the top 160 people to finish at the top of the mountain, Gaustatoppen, that is 1883m above sea level. The rest of the competitors have to run the rest of the event at a lower altitude. “I am hoping to be one of the top 160 and will be very upset if I’m not,” laughed Barry.

The Hillcrest Villagers Athletics Club are hosting a fundraiser raffle for R100 per ticket. The draw will be on Thursday, 28 July. Should all 200 tickets be sold, the winner will take home R10 000 and the other R10 000 will go towards sponsoring the trip. To purchase tickets, contact Barry on 073 555 9383.