FORMER Budehaven School pupil Matt Proudfoot completed the Lakeman Triathlon on Sunday, June 16, to raise money for local charity, Jay’s AIM.

The charity was set up to inform young people about the risks and prevention of sudden cardiac death in the young and active, within the South West, following the tragic passing of Bude man James (Jay) Osborne back in 2017.

Matt, 30, who now lives up in the North East and works as a maths teacher, explains why he took on the event, which is based in the Lake District.

He said: “I’ve always wanted to do an ironman and turned 30 last year, so thought it was about time to train for one. James was a really close friend at school so I thought I’d do it for Jay’s AIM.”

An ironman is a brutal concept and takes months of preparation, allowing them to swim 2.4 miles, cycle 112 miles and then run a full 26.2-mile marathon.

So how did he make sure he was ready?

Matt said: “Training involved loads of swimming as my swimming is weak, and making sure I was doing something every day, with at least one of each discipline every week, then two of each in the final few months. I also did lots of outdoor swimming in lakes as well, as it is so different to a pool.”

Matt completed the task in 13 hours and 40 minutes, within his goal.

He said: “I was hoping for under 15 hours and to just survive, so I was happy to finish it in the time I did.

“The race was amazing but gruelling, especially the second half of the marathon and the last 30 miles of the bike when I thought there was only ten miles left and actually 30 against the wind! I might do it again as it’s easy to forget the pain quickly, so watch this space!

“Finally I’d like to thank friends and family for their amazing support.”

To donate to Matt’s cause, which has so far raised £793.04, visit www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Matthew-Proudfoot4