Local publisher and veteran triathlete Ian Coles successfully completed the gruelling Ironman UK on Sunday.

Fifty one year-old Coles completed the 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike and 26.2 mile run in 14 hours 20 minutes over a tough course in and around Sherborne Castle in Dorset, England.

"My goal was to experience the event, enjoy the day and finish an Ironman" said Coles, "so all my objectives were met, even though I didn't break any records with my time.

"The bike course was more challenging than I had anticipated ? lots of very steep hills, long drags and extremely narrow, winding roads. There were absolutely no flat, straight parts where you could drop down onto your aero bars and get into a steady tempo.

"But the 2.4 mile swim in a lake in the Castle grounds was straightforward and I think the run course was quite fast, despite a four mile-long hill which we reached right at the end ? at mile 20."

Coles described the course as "spectacular" as it rolled through hilly countryside and picturesque villages of Dorset and Somerset.

"Along the route the crowds were typically, for the English, quite eccentric," he said.

"There were wealthy farmers sipping champagne on their front lawns, other spectators banging pots and pans, shaking tambourines and blowing whistles to encourage the athletes. Patrons of village pubs spilled out onto the roads and urged people on with some ripe comments.

"And the fellow competitors you meet at these events are quite extraordinary ? like the 60-year-old Japanese man who has completed 59 Ironman races. I also came across a cyclist who had broken his saddle, but continued to race without a saddle.

"That's what I call an Ironman."