Final
Countdown for Bury Ultraman
A Bury St Edmunds police officer is making his final
preparations for the ultimate endurance challenge next month, as he gets
ready for Ultraman Canada.
PC
Simon Bourne is one of only 25 people from around the world invited to
take part in the event in British Columbia in August, which consists of
three days of grueling running, cycling and swimming. He is now the only
British athlete racing due to the withdrawal of the other athlete.
The event is the culmination of his Ironman2Ultraman challenge which he
began last year, to raise money for Cancer Research UK in memory of his
wife’s grandfather.
PC Bourne says, 'I have now successfully completed 42 weeks of progressive
training in all three disciplines. January to April involved swimming
training in Bury St Edmunds pool and running for St Edmunds Pacers. This
involved cross-country races, the Bury 20 mile road race and culminated
with the Bungay Marathon on April 6th.
'Mid-April to August has seen me switch my training approach to Open Water
Swimming and Cycling. My swimming training has seen me swimming 5 miles
on the river Cam and Great Ouse between Cambridge and Ely. I have completed
three of these swims at 7am on a Saturday morning with a support kayaker
for safety cover.
On Friday evenings I have been joining my triathlon club (Cambridge) at
Histon Lake for open water swim training. My last river swim will take
place on Wednesday 13th August.
'Cycling has seen me complete the 'Etapedudales' - 110 miles of tough
cycling in the Yorkshire Dales on May 18th, the Bury wheel 100 miles in
June and the 'Legbreaker' 'Hell of The Moorlands' on Sunday 18th July,
a 103 mile tough cycle ride in North Staffordshire. I have also been training
between Bury and Great Yarmouth, covering 114 miles on Sunday mornings.'
PC Bourne, who works with the Youth Offending Team in Bury, will continue
training until he flies out to Canada on August 28th for the Ultraman
competition. Held in British Columbia between Saturday 30th August and
Monday 1st September, competitors take part in a 6.2 mile swim, 260 mile
bike ride and a double marathon over three days.
As well as his fundraising goal, PC Bourne has another aim now –
to qualify for the Ultraman World Championships in Hawaii in November
2009. 'I received an e-mail from the Race Director of the World Championships,
who has informed me that if I race well in Canada I will be a 'Priority
Athlete' for a place in Hawaii. It’s certainly an added incentive
to race hard! They have pretty much laid the cards on the table and the
rest is down to me. The Race Director will be in Canada and would like
to meet up with me. I will then be required to race in an Ironman event
early next year which will complete the jigsaw for a place. Canada remains
the key event though, and I am training to win.'
PC Bourne is now sponsored by the RAF Regiment at RAF Honington, Buffwear
traditional headwear and B.A.R. Photo Art, a local photographer from Bury
St Edmunds (Brett Robertson).
Donations can be made to the Ironman2Ultraman appeal by visiting http://www.justgiving.com/sbourne.
Further details can be found soon on PC Bourne’s website http://www.findurlimit.co.uk
