WEYMOUTH’S Andy Sloan described the Ironman Nice, in France, as the “most gruelling, relentless race” he had ever competed in after successfully completing the 140.6-mile challenge.

Sloan, along with Bustinskin Triathlan Club colleague Sam Wait, swam 2.4 miles and cycled 112 miles before finishing by running a marathon.

The Procision Fitness personal trainer completed the challenge in just over 11-and-a-half hours while Wait, who owns 5J’s café in Lodmoor car park, followed home in 13 hours and 51 minutes.

“Hands down, this was the hardest, most gruelling, relentless race I’ve ever competed in, but it’s also the greatest,” said Sloan.

At a hectic start with 2,500 people rushing to get ahead in the water away from the flailing arms and legs, Sloan got right in the mix for the swim.

After one hour and 12 minutes of gliding through the water, he transferred to his bike and tackled the steep course that involved a 20km climb at one stage.

Despite suffering severe cramp, Sloan battled through to complete his cycle in five hours 57 minutes before donning his running shoes in 35-degree heat.

The marathon took him four hours and 16 minutes, meaning he completed the entire challenge in 11 hours and 39 minutes, which was a little longer than he had hoped but a remarkable feat nonetheless, while Wait was marginally under 14 hours in his debut Ironman.

Sloan said: “Upon crossing the finish line, you get what you’ve been picturing every time you’ve thought about skipping a training session, any time you felt at all down during the race and every time you thought about just giving up – that golden Ironman medal.

“The thing that tells the world that you’ve just swam 2.4 miles, cycled 112 miles, then run a 26.2- mile marathon at the end of it.

“It reminds you of what you’ve achieved, and that you can accomplish just about anything you set your mind to, as long as you’re willing to commit, sacrifice and stop at nothing to achieve what you set out to.”