Alistair Brownlee reveals plans to run iron distance triathlon in under seven hours

'This will be the most difficult thing I’ve ever taken part in,' says two-time Olympic champion

Two-time Olympic gold medallist Alistair Brownlee is part of a four-man group attempting to run the iron distance triathlon in under sub seven/eight hours for men and women. Courtesy photo

Alistair Brownlee has won many awards and accolades as a triathlete, including the first to win two Olympic golds.

For the Briton to top that, the challenge would have to be pretty steep.

That is why Brownlee and three other-elite level triathletes are teaming together in an audacious attempt to run the iron distance triathlon in under seven/eight hours for men and women.

The iron distance triathlon consists of a 3.8km swim followed by an 80km cycling and 42km run.

To put the challenge into context, the triathletes will need to swim at Olympic open water medallist pace, then cycle at an average speed of 51 kilometres/hour for 180 kilometres - which is on pace with the fastest Tour de France stage over 100 miles ever ridden, before running a sub 2 hour and 30 minutes marathon.

"That's to push the limits of human performance," Brownlee told The National on the Pho3nix SUB 7 and SUB 8 challenge that is set to take place in the spring of 2022.

“Two years isn’t a long time when you undertake such a daunting task. All four of us in this are active triathletes and train throughout the year for various events.

“At the moment, I’m preparing for the Olympic Games and thereafter my plan would be to prepare for this challenge while competing in various other competitions.

“Obviously there is a lot of planning behind this move. We need to find a venue and climate conditions that would be perfect for the athletes. We are working hard to find the best location. Right now I’m not sure where exactly it can take place.”

So who dreamed up this ultra test of human endurance idea then?

“We sat around a table after an endurance race in Bahrain discussing the world record times and if they could be beaten,” the Briton added.

“The women thought in the right conditions it was possible to go under eight hours. I thought I could go sub seven hours.

“A mix of bravado and competitive instinct kicked in and before we knew it, we had all signed up to the idea of not just attempting to go faster than anyone in history by breaking the mythical 7- and 8-hour barriers.”

Joining Brownlee in the challenge are Norway’s half-iron distance world record holder Kristian Blummenfelt, Britain’s three-time Ironman World Championship female runner-up Lucy Charles-Barclay and the Swiss dual Olympic medalist Nicola Spirig.

“This will be the most difficult thing I’ve ever taken part in, but my hope is it inspires others to push further than they’ve ever gone before in any aspect of life,” Charles-Barclay said

Spirig added: “This might be the hardest challenge of my career, but also the most rewarding if I’m able to show others what is possible.”

Blummenfelt said: “Many say it’s impossible, but wouldn’t it be great if we were able to defy the naysayers? Imagine the impact that could have, not just at the elite end of the sport but also to encourage everyone – especially young people – to be more active.”

Chris McCormack, a former world champion triathlete and now CEO of event organisers Mana Sport and Entertainment Group, is the man who is putting it together.

“Outside of championship racing is where we often see the best competitive moments and records occur,” he said.

“It happened in Roth in 1996 when Germany’s Lothar Leder smashed the magical eight-hour mark in the iron distance for the first time; and we saw it in 2019 when Eliud Kipchoge became the first athlete to run a marathon in under two hours.

“If Alistair or Kristian broke 7-hours or Nicola or Lucy broke 8-hours, it would elevate these great competitors to rock stars of endurance sport."