A MONMOUTH man has raised £3,800 for an asthma charity after taking part in a 140-mile Ironman triathlon.

Simon Tee competed in Ironman UK, held near Bolton in Lancashire, in July, after setting himself the challenge to compete in the event before he turned 50.

Living in Monmouth for the first 19 years of his life, Simon, now a partner at a firm of accountants in Newport, participated in the challenge which involved a 2.4-mile open water swim, 112-mile cycle and 26.2-mile run to raise money for Asthma UK.

The gruelling challenge came about after Simon decided to get fit in 2011, setting himself the challenge to finish an Ironman before he turned 50.

“After 25 years of virtually nothing, I decided to try and get fit,” he says. “This started with some running, a bit of swimming and then cycling. Naturally this led me to triathlon. I joined a club in 2013 and have participated in, not competed at, about a dozen small events now!

“I set myself a secret target to finish an Ironman triathlon before I was 50. Whilst that milestone is next year I am feeling my body start to creak a bit so I’m going in early.”

Simon, who says he was a participant rather than a competitor, came in the top five per cent of swimmers, which Simon puts down to his years with Alan Roberts at Monnow Swimming Club when he was younger.

“The swim seems to be something that a lot of people find most difficult,” he added.

“I didn’t swim for probably 25 years,” he sai, “but it came back naturally.”

“The most difficult part was the run. After all that distance, with the cramp and the aches, it is more of a half run half shuffle.”

Simon chose to raise money for the charity Asthma UK, which aims to understand the causes of asthma, reduce asthma attacks and ultimately find a cure.

“I picked the charity because its not the most obvious one that people go for.

“When I was fundraising I would speak to people and many of them would know someone who has been affected by asthma.”

Despite completing the challenge, Simon says that he probably wouldn’t take it on again.

“I’m really happy with my achievement,” he says, “but probably not!”