CHRISTOPHER Walker has ambitions of one day taking on arguably sport’s most gruelling test.

But for now his focus is on an event in June that the majority of people would still think was a step too far.

The 23-year-old Portland athlete will represent Great Britain at the Long Distance Triathlon World Championships in Belfort, France.

Walker, an engineer by trade, competes in the 18-24 men’s age group and is busy training for the event both at home and on the roads.

Juggling work and training is something Walker has got used to in the last few years but his life was made all the more busier three months ago when he became a father to baby boy Theo.

British athletes have excelled in triathlon and its even tougher relation Ironman over the last decade and Walker is trying to follow in the footsteps of the country’s biggest names in the sport.

But at the moment his concentration is on Belfort, located between Lyon and Strasbourg in north east France, on June 1.

“There have been British athletes like Leanda Cave and Chrissie Wellington who I’ve looked up to and I would love to race in the Ironman World Championships in Hawaii one day,” he said.

“But my focus this year is on France and I want to be realistic about how I think I am going to do.

“I’m not going to say I will go and win it but getting in the top 10 in my age group would be pretty good.

“I did an Ironman event in Barc-elona last September and came seventh in my age group.

“I set a new personal best of 10 hours and nine minutes and that time was good enough to qualify for these championships.

“There are maps of the course available and I’ve had a quick look. The run has got one small hill but it is five laps of the same route.

“And the bike ride has one decent climb and the rest of it is up and down with no major hills so it doesn’t look too bad.”

Walker faces a 4km swim, 110km bike ride and 30km run in France and in preparation for the event will take part in the Bustinskin Osprey Sprint Triathlon on Port-land next month.

It was a Bustinskin event a few years back that really ignited his interest in endurance racing, a discipline he is learning from all the time.

“I used to swim with the Tornadoes when I was growing up and did a lot of racing,” he added. “I did a few triathlons including the Bustinskin event in Weymouth which my brother Richard also competed in.

“I do race the shorter triathlons but I’m more suited to the longer distance. I don’t have the top end speed some people have over the shorter events.

“With work and training I can have some long days and it can be tough when you’re pushing your body to the limit.

“On the mental side it’s important to stay strong and keep positive when things get rough but that only comes through experience and I’m still learning.

“I normally train six days a week and have one day off. I do around 15 hours a week and it’s about getting out there and putting the work in to get the results.”