Ian Beddis ran his very first rough track triathlon on Sunday, September 7th, with a brilliant time of 1 hour and 23 seconds.

The triathlon sprint race consisted of a gruelling 400m swim in choppy open water, a 10 km mountain bike ride over rough terrain, and finally a 45 km run. The event was arranged by Men's Fitness Magazine, at Domey Lake in Windsor.

Having never competed in a triathlon before Ian was hoping to finish in the top 50, but he finished 14th in his race and 16th out of 177 competitors overall.

Ian was up against stiff competition, including Olympic Gold Medallist Tim Brabants who only finished 7 minutes ahead of him.

Ian's times were astonishing for someone who has never competed, the best being his swim at 7 minutes 9 seconds. Having started at the back of the crowd, he emerged out of the water in 9th place, to the delight of his family and friends who were present to support him.

Ian is thinking of competing next year in the advanced triathlon, which involves double the distance covered in the sprint. Family and friends congratulated him and said they were all extremely proud of him and they vow they will be there cheering him on in 2009.