In chronological order:

March 1983- 1st 1/2 Marathon –aged 13, Romford England. The official age limit for a 1/2 marathon is 18, but naughty old me didn’t worry about this. Was very excited the day before. In pouring rain I ran with dad all the way until the last 100 metres when he said I could sprint ahead. Pegged it to finish in a time of 1.33. Very pleased.

April 1989- 1st Marathon- London (26.2 miles.)
Amongst 30,000 runners in the nation’s capital I took a steady start and overtook people all the way to finish in a respectable 2.54.

May 1989 – 1st Triathlon event, East Ham, London (500m swim, 10 mile cycle, 3 mile run) The start of my triathlon career. Was not a strong swimmer at this time and really struggled in the pool. The rest was really enjoyable. Finished happy in 10th place.

June 1989 – 1st Ultra Distance Running Race, The South Downs Way 80 Mile World trail Running Championships, England. 1989 was a glorious summer. I remember being so excited the night before, camping at the race start in Petersfield. Race day was very warm and I loved it. The scenery was amazing (and very hilly!). Eventually made to the finish in Eastbourne just after dark to finish in 39th place out of 500 in a pleasing 13.34 hours. A tremendous adventure.

July 1990 – 1st Ironman distance race, Cirencester, England (2.4 mile swim , 112 mile cycle, 26.2 mile run)
Race morning was freezing. In the swim 60 competitors were pulled from the water with hypothermia. I just about made it through. Spent the rest of the race pulling through the field. Had the 5th fastest marathon run to finish in 17th place in 10.52 hours. I was an Ironman.

July 1991- Ironman Europe, Roth, Germany, (2.4 mile swim, 112 mile cycle, 26.2 mile run) 1800 competitors from all over the world fronted up to Roth, in Bavaria, Germany. A beautiful location for a great race. Swam in a canal. The crowds were amazing and despite a bad spell on the marathon, I finished in 10.01 hours. The next day I found out that I had qualified for the famous Hawaii Ironman World Championships. Really chuffed.

October 1991- World Ironman Championships, Kona, Hawaii, U.S.A, (2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, 26.2 mile run) 1500 people qualified to compete in the grand daddy of all triathlons, including little old me! The race is thought of as the hardest Ironman in the world. After a swim in the warm Pacific, competitors then bike and run in the lava fields, through hills,searing heat and monsterous winds. I struggled in the swim but had a steady day after that to finish untroubled in 509th place in a time of 10.57 hours.

January 1992 – Thredbo Adventure Challenge, Snowy Mountains, Australia. 3 Mountain stages of running, 1 mountain bike leg, 2 road cycling legs, a swim and a canoeing leg. Had a great time. Finished happy with a handstand in 7th place!

March 1992 – New Zealand Ironman, Auckland, New Zealand, (2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, 26.2 mile run)
A horrendous day to race. Gale force winds and driving rain. Finished in a respectable 10.51 hours. Had a cycle holiday around New Zealand’s North and South Islands. Fantastic country with great people. Even bungee jumped!

May 1992 – Australia Ironman, Forster, NSW, Australia, (2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, 26.2 mile run)
Another wonderful place to race. Missed out on qualifying for the Hawaii World Championships by 5 seconds! Time: 10.05 hours

August 1992 – Canadian Ironman, Penticton, British Columbia, Canada, ( 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, 26.2 mile run) Finally qualified for the Hawaii Ironman at my last chance. Broke 10 hours for the first time with a 9.53 hours clocking. A beautiful place to race although the bike course is very hilly, especially up the Richter Pass.

October 1992 – World Ironman Championships, Kona, Hawaii, U.S.A (2.4 mile swim, 112 mile cycle, 26.2 mile run) Improved my time from last year by a whopping 48 minutes with 10.09 hours. My position also went from 509th to 287th.

April 1993 – Australian Ironman, Forster, NSW, Australia, (2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, 26.2 mile run)
Improved my personal best (P.B) by 16 minutes with 9.37 hours. Qualified for Hawaii again.

August 1993 – Scottish Ironman Championships, Aberfeldy, Perthshire, Scotland, (2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, 26.2 mile run) My 1st Ironman victory! Had a great race in a beautiful part of the UK. Felt excellent all day. Time: 10.00 hours.

October 1993 – World Ironman Championships, Kona, Hawaii, U.S.A , (2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, 26.2 mile run) My third trip to the lava fields saw me break 10 hours for the first time there with a 9.57 hours clocking. Although I was the first Briton to finish I was a bit disappointed with my performance.

March 1994 – New Zealand Ironman, Auckland, New Zealand, (2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, 26,2 mile run)
Back to NZ again. Finished in a Hawaii qualifying time of 10.12 but struggled all day.

April 1994 – Australian Ironman, Forster, NSW, Australia, (2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, 26.2 mile run)
Shaved a further 2 minutes off my P.B with a time of 9.35 hours.
June 1994 – British Ironman Championships, Wolverhampton, England, (2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, 26.2 mile run)
Disappointed to be outsprinted for 3rd place but pleased to set a new P.B of 9.25 hours.

October 1994 – World Ironman Championships, Kona, Hawaii, U.S.A, (2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, 26.2 mile run) A good performance in really hard conditions: high humidity, very strong winds and temperatures into the 100’s. My time was the same as last year but my position improved from 275th to 163rd!

April 1995 – Australian Ironman, Forster, NSW, Australia, (2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, 262 mile run) My best international Ironman race performance yet with a 20th place finish out of 1000 people. Both my sisters raced, then Susan got married the next day to Ross, who had also raced!

May 1995 – World Triple Ironman Championships, Fontanil, France, (7.2 mile swim, 336 mile bike, 78 mile run) My first foray into the world of ultra-triathlons and it very nearly resulted in me being crowned World Champion. In 20th place after the swim I pulled competitors back during the night on the bike ride. The horrendous weather (cold and driving rain) forced many competitors to pull out. I knuckled down and managed to finish the bike in 5th place. On the 78 mile run I was sick early on and unable to eat or drink anything else for the remainder of the race. But amazingly I kept catching the leaders, and with 10 miles to go took the lead. However, with 3 miles to go I was re-passed by fellow Englishman Erik Seedhouse and so had to settle for 2nd place in a time of 37.58 hours. A most extreme race. My body took a real battering, having lost 9 kgs in weight during the race!

July 1995- Scottish Ironman Championships, Aberfeldy, Perthshire, Scotland (2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, 26.2 mile run) A disasterous day for me as defending champion. Still fatigued from the Triple Ironman, I could have done without getting lost on both the bike and run legs and also having 2 punctures. Guess it wasn’t my day! 5th place

August 1995 – Canadian Ironman, Penticton, British Columbia, Canada, (2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, 26.2 mile run) A return to form with a 9.27 clocking and 19th place out of 2000 competitors.

October 1995 – World Ironman Championships, Kona, Hawaii, U.S.A, (2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, 26.2 mile run) After a long season I produced a terrible performance as fatigue caught up with me. 10.34 hours.

May 1996 – World Triple Ironman Championships, Fontanil, France, (7.2 mile swim, 336 mile bike, 78 mile run) My return to France as the favourite proved too much pressure. A severe bout of sickness near the end of the bike ride led to me spending over 2 hours in the medical tent. My mum convinced me to get up to continue. Wearily I did and managed to pull through to eventually finish 6th. Was extremely disappointed after spending months training to win this one race. In retrospect trained too much and went into the race tired.

June 1996 – World Trail Running Championships 80 mile South Down Way, England 5 days before the race I could not walk due to a back injury. So I amazed myself to hobble round in 13.34 hours, exactly the same time I had done 7 years previously, when it had been my first ultra race. Same time maybe but this felt way harder due to my injury.

July 1996 – AAA British 24 hour Running Championships, Hull, England Became British Champion by running 130 miles round a running track in one day. Not my ideal way to spend a day, but a British title is nothing to be sniffed at! Was so sore at the end I could hardly walk!

August 1996 – World Double Ironman Championships, Lithuania, (4.8 mile swim, 224 mile bike, 52 mile run) A wonderful country with the nicest people I have ever met. Just missed snatching the bronze medal from my rival Erik Seedhouse by 2 minutes. Finished 4th in a time of 22.18 hours.

February 1997 – Australian Ultra Triathlon Challenge, Canberra, Australia, (15km swim, 400km bike, 100km run) In 4th place after the swim, I recorded the fastest bike and run times to record a pleasing win in a time of 27.21 hours. Great race.

February 1997 – Australian 24 hour Running Championships, Canberra, Australia. After my success in the triathlon I was invited to act as pacemaker for Yiannis’ Kouros’ World Record Attempt. After a very fast start I helped him as much as I could. Eventually finished 4th.

April 1997 – Australian Ironman, Forster, NSW, Australia, (2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, 26.2 mile run)
Pleased to record a new P.B of 9.21. Qualified for Hawaii but decided to turn my place down. Concentrating on training for the Deca (10) Ironman race in November.

June 1997 – World Triple Ironman Championships, Fontanil, France, (7.2 mile swim, 336 mile bike, 78 mile run) Just missed out again on becoming World Champion. Had the fastest run but couldn’t quite catch Martino, the French cycling machine. Was pleased though to record a P.B of 36.15 hours.

August 1997 – World Double Ironman Championships, Lithuania, (4.8 mile swim, 224 mile bike, 52 mile run) Came a tired 5th place in 22.11 hours.

November 1997 – World DecaIronman Championships, Monterrey, Mexico, (24 mile swim, 1120 mile bike, 262 mile run) The longest and toughest endurance race in the world. SEE SEPARATE REPORT ON THIS UNIQUE RACE.

August 1998 – Canadian Ironman, Penticton, British Columbia, Canada, (2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, 26.2 mile run) Still suffering the effects from the Deca Ironman, I was pleased to struggle round in 10.30 hours in 45C heat.

October 1999 – John O’Groats-Lands End Cycle Ride, UK, (850 miles) Took 4 1/2 days to cycle the length of the country. Fantastic way to see Britain.

April 2000 – Record Attempt Cycling from Lands End to John O’Groats and Back, UK (1700 miles) Managed to break the record by taking 6 days 20 hours to cycle there and back. During the last night was so tired that I fell asleep whilst cycling.

May 2000 – Cornish Coastal Footpath Running Challenge, Cornwall, England, (33 miles) Managed to win but really got dehydrated in the last few miles on a scorching day. Fantastic scenery if a trifle hilly.

May 2000 – Record Attempt Running the 300 mile Cornish Coastal Footpath, Cornwall, England, (300 miles) Broke the record by taking 5 1/2 days to run round the complete coastline of this wonderful county. Great fun!

June 2000 – ACE Adventure Race, Forest of Dean, England Had great fun orienteering by foot and mountain bike, and canoeing. My inability at reading a compass well prevented my team mate Carol and I securing a top 3 finish, despite being the fastest competitors.

June 2000 – Bob Brown’s Xtra Barmy Adventure Race, Sennen Cove, Cornwall,England As the name suggests, I organised this race comprising sand dune running, swimming, coastal path running, mountain biking and press-ups. Was really hard organising and competing in the same race. After no sleep the night before managed to run the field down to finish 2nd. Everybody had a great day. Time:8.50 hours

June 2000 – World Triple Ironman Championships, Fontanil, France, (7.2 mile swim, 336 mile bike, 78 mile run) After a 3 year absence from the race, I was delighted to finish 4th in my 2nd fastest ever time- 37.24 hours.

September 2000 – Salomon Adventure Race, Snowdonia, Wales My team finished well in the 2 day race comprising canoeing, swimming, run orienteering, abseiling and mountain bike orienteering.

November 2000 – Blue Eskimo Adventure Race, Lake District, England In atrocious conditions my team was delighted to finish 2nd after running, mountain biking, canoeing and abseiling for 2 very cold days. At one point in the race I was wearing 11 layers of clothing and was still freezing!

January-March 2001 – Trans-Australia Footrace, Australia, (3000 miles) Ran 3000 miles across Australia in the middle of their summer. Came 7th and had the most amazing time of my life.

April 2001 – Tresco Marathon, Isles of Scilly, Cornwall (26.2 miles) On my birthday came 1st in the friendliest race I have ever competed in.

May 2001 – Set Unofficial World Record for amount of vertical metres climbed in 24 hours, Sennen Cove, Cornwall For this record I climbed up a 1/2 mile 1:4 gradient hill 120 times in one day. Say no more!

May 2001 – World Record Running 24 hours on a Treadmill, Safeway Supermarket, Penzance, Cornwall
Managed to run 122 miles in 24 hours. When I finished I never wanted to see a treadmill again!

June 2001 – Record Attempt Running from John O’Groats-Lands End, (850 miles) Unfortunately, injury ended my attempt after 300 miles when on schedule. Bitterly disappointed.

January 2002 – World Record Running 24 Hours on a Treadmill, Plymouth, Devon, England Must have forgotten that I never wanted to see a treadmill again as I broke my own record by one mile. Never again- really!

June 2002 – Grand Union Canal 145 mile Run, Birmingham to London), England On a wonderfully hot weekend managed to finish 2nd in 32.50 hours despite not having trained properly for months.

July-August 2002 – Cycle Tour from John O’Groats- Lands End, (850 miles) Had a wonderful time cycling the length of the country with my girlfriend Amy.

June 2003 – Dartmoor Discovery 33 Mile Run, Dartmoor, Devon Suffering from injury and unfitness managed to hobble into a very unimpressive 10th place.

July-August 2003 – 2500 mile Honeymoon Cycle Across Australia, Australia Amy (now my wife) and I managed to cycle across from Perth to Sydney in 27 days. She did amazingly well and I am so proud of her. A great test of a couple’s compatability!

June-August 2004 – 3100 mile Run Across America. At the beginning of the race all I wanted to do was run across the States. To win was a huge, unexpected bonus...