A TRIO of directors from Trafford-based Russells Construction are going that extra mile this weekend... In the 2009 Tatton Park triathlon.
Brothers and joint managing directors Andrew and Gareth Russell, together with their finance director Lee Downs, are set to compete in
the annual charity event this Saturday and Sunday.
Competition between the colleagues is fierce with Gareth and Lee going head-to-head in the sprint distance event, which comprises a
750m swim, 19km cycle and 5km run. Experienced tri-athlete Andrew will head out in the Olympic event, aiming to finish the 1,500m swim,
38km cycle and 10k run in under 2 hours and 15 minutes.
This is the 39-year-old's first competition since he completed the Zurich Iron Man triathlon in July, coming 434 out of 2,000 athletes
in a time of 10 hours 22 minutes. He said: "We're all keen on keeping fit and have quite a healthy competitive spirit in the office so
we're all making predictions on each others times.
"In Zurich I did the Iron Man level so the run was a full marathon, which was pretty tough following an hour-long swim and more than five
hours on the bike. This time we're doing it for charity and I'm looking forward to enjoying myself a bit more, taking in the scenery and
the atmosphere and cheering on Gareth and Lee in their event. Everyone at work has been really supportive and we have lots of colleagues
who have said they're going to come to watch, so it should be a great day out."
All three have been training hard for the event which takes in the incredible surroundings of the stunning Tatton Park estate, including
the Mere itself for the swim section. Organisers have chosen to support Leukaemia Research as this year's charity, to which Russells
Construction is making an additional donation.
Gareth Russell, 37, added: "We set ourselves a charity challenge every summer, usually a long distance bike ride but it feels like we've
covered the length and breadth of Britain so decided to try something different this year. Competing in an event like this is always
good fun and, although open water is very different to training in a pool, I feel we're all well prepared and will be working hard to
put in a good performance to help raise money for this extremely important charity."
For more information on the event go to http://www.tattontriathlon.co.uk/
