Bath surgeon completes Deca Ironman for hospital charity

A consultant and cancer surgeon has raised £22,500 by running 10 continuous ironman races.

Stuart Gillett won the Deca Ironman in Mexico, where competitors swim 24 miles, cycle 1,120 miles, and then run 262 miles.

The ear, nose and throat consultant raised the money for Bath's Royal United Hospital charity (RUHX).

He told BBC West: "The support I've had from patients, colleagues, family, has been absolutely amazing."

The money will allow RUHX to buy a piece of AI software which can help with radiotherapy planning.

"The last two and a half marathons were just physically exhausting," Mr Gillett said.

In completing the course, Mr Gillett set a new British record for a Deca Ironman, finishing the gruelling race in 206 hours, 29 minutes and 30 seconds.

He already held the GB record for a Quintuple Ironman, which he completed in 75 hours, 15 minutes and 22 seconds - smashing the previous British record by over 24 hours.

One of the biggest challenges of the race is the effect it has on the body. Mr Gillett said his hands and feet paid the price, particularly in the final running stage of the Deca Ironman.

"The running destroys your feet - 262 miles with the heat and the dust - your feet swell up and you get blisters," he said. "So I'm still hobbling around because of that."

Mr Gillett says the AI software funded by his efforts will make a big difference at Bath's Royal United Hospital.

"It'll help to do some of the work currently being done by oncologists, and it'll speed up the process of planning for patients undergoing radiotherapy," he said.

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