Teaching assistant completes 10 Ironman triathlons in 10 days

A teaching assistant says he feels "amazing" after completing 10 Ironman triathlons in as many days.

James Simpson, from Alfreton in Derbyshire, started the Deca Ironman triathlon on 19 July in York.

The 46-year-old finished first out of the six people who lasted the course, having spent more than 145 hours racing over the 10 days.

He thanked well-wishers who have donated more than £13,000 for charity.

The gruelling challenge saw Mr Simpson complete a 2.4-mile (3.8km) swim, a 112-mile (180km) cycle and run 26.2 miles (42.1km) for 10 consecutive days.

Though sore and resting at home, he said he was considering taking part in other challenges.

"At the moment I'm struggling to walk much, but I think that will be gone over the next couple of weeks," he said.

"I might race again in the future, if I can sneak it past the wife.

"It was a bit of a surprise [to finish first], but I feel amazing about it."

Mr Simpson is raising money for Sisu Derbyshire, which is working with Alfreton Town Council on the Active8 Alfreton Project to encourage people to take part in physical activity.

Having exceeded his original target of £5,000, he thanked Alfreton residents for their support and his technical team for helping him over the line.

"What I would probably highlight is this was incredibly difficult all the way through," he said.

"I had a particularly bad day on day three I think - I felt really very poorly that day - but my support crew literally made the world of difference.

"They got me to eat the correct nutrients, they said the right things to me, so by the end of the day I felt like I had weathered my first major storm, and once I'd done that then I knew I'd get through it.

"I can't emphasise enough that this is a team sport - you can't do it on your own."

Follow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected].