A MAN from Rhyl completed a gruelling “Ironman” challenge in Sweden last weekend, and raised money for charity in doing so.
Dean Billingsley, 41, took part in the event in the city of Kalmar, which involved a 3,800m swim in the Baltic Sea, a 180km bike ride, and running a full marathon (26.2 miles).
He completed it in 15 hours and 11 minutes, and raised hundreds of pounds for Ronald McDonald House Charities, an organisation which provides families with accommodation while their child is in hospital.
It was the first Ironman experience for Dean, who runs his own renewable energy business.
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Dean said: “The only thing I’d done before this was the Chester Half Marathon. I’ve always been relatively fit since school, but I just decided to challenge myself in January, when I started training for it.
“I was watching it on the TV, and just thought I’d give it a go. I was pleased with my time, but also a bit gutted that I didn’t finish under 15 hours.
“I spoke to my coach, though, who said that just completing it is a fantastic achievement.
“It’s still so raw, so I haven’t had time to reflect on how big an achievement it is. There was a lot to learn from it.
“I enjoyed it - it was very challenging, trying to overcome pain barriers that I’d never experienced before, but it was really good for mental strength.”
Dean was joined in Sweden by his wife and daughter, and now has his sights set on a few more events before the end of 2024.
Though he initially entered the Kalmar event solely to test himself, he then decided to use it as a way of raising funds for Ronald McDonald House Charities, which he said made it a “double-win”.
He added: “I’ve raised about £900 so far.
“The son of a friend of ours has been quite ill, and has been staying at Ronald McDonald House at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool, so it felt like I was raising money for them (his family), as well.”
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