Ironman veteran Peter McGahan-Boyd is all set to compete in his third Ironman this July, earning him the coveted Tri-Nation Medal, specially awarded to competitors who have competed three Ironmans in as many years.

Peter reflects on his fitness journey after competing in his first Ironman for Winston’s Wish. He says, “My first Ironman was in 2022, and I feel I’ve come a long way from training, mindset and also creating a nice community around me.”

“Now, I am about to compete in my third Ironman, I do feel slightly emotional towards it, I have a really strong connection with Ironman and what it represents, but without my friends, family and work environment nothing would be possible.

“In terms of my fitness levels, I feel the fittest I ever have, I also turned 40 last year so this was a key motivation to make this year a really healthy one.  For this season, I have been able to focus on multiple fitness areas.

“This one is really special for me in all honesty, I’ve been able to race at Bolton, Tenby and now Leeds.  Because these races have been close back to back, I will actually gain a special medal called Tri-Nation trophy.  Ideally completing all three nations (England, Wales and Ireland). Unfortunately, Ironman Cork has been cancelled, so Ironman have given me the opportunity this year in doing a second race in England.

“I have a coach who I work with who over looks my weeks and helps me be organised well in advance, but my normal routine is split into two short runs in the week, one over the weekend, two power focus bike rides with one long over the weekend and an endurance focus swim with also some strength and CrossFit classes between. I’m also super fortunate to have a great work location that provides state of the art gym, athletics track and outdoor swimming pool.”

Supporting Winston’s Wish

Peter highlights why he is so keen to support the charity and to raise both funds and awareness for Winston’s Wish. He comments, “As an early adult, when I was 19, I lost my Dad in a car crash and looking back now, I really do wish I had the support that Winston’s Wish provides to children and young people.  Its only later on in life I reflected on some of these issues.  I think it’s super important to have this support and help available as it can really shape someone’s perspective in their life.

“I’ve been working with Winston’s Wish for nearly five years now and its been really nice to not just see how it supports young people but how the charity has grown in reaching more bereaved children and young adults.”

I have to say a huge thank you to my family and friends for the support, but also “Winstons Wish, you have provided me with great ideas, content and support throughout the process.”

Peter Boyd-McGahan will be competing in the Ironman Leeds on 27^th of July. To follow his progress and donate, follow his dedicated Just Giving page.

Feel inspired by Peter’s Ironman challenge?

Has Peter’s triple ironman challenge feat got you ready and raring to go? Then simply check out all the amazing events and activities you can do to support Winston’s Wish!

From walks to marathons, swims to cycles, you can find a challenge that pushes you further than ever before. Find out more below.

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Physical Education teacher, James Perrett, 31, is preparing for the gruelling Nottingham Ironman Triathlon just months after completing the Cardiff Ultra Challenge for Winston’s Wish, raising over £1,500 in the process!

“Trying to fit training in can be a little hectic as my wife, Ceri, is also a teacher, and we have Dottie the Dachshund to care for.”

“The Ultra Challenge, back in February, which was 43-miles from Brecon to Cardiff and over 2,000ft of climbing, took around four months of training. I was running five to six days out of seven, covering 40 plus miles a week.”

“The upcoming Ironman Triathlon in July, consists of a 2.4-mile swim, 112-miles of cycling and a full marathon, normally takes 24 weeks to prepare for. However, with only a few months between challenges, a busy few weeks at work and necessary recovery time from the Cardiff Ultra, I’ve only recently started training again.”

“I’m doing around 10 to 15 hours of running every week, plus two lots of training sessions. My goal is to beat my time from my Ironman Wales challenge in 2022, which took me 14 hours and 36 minutes.”

Having always enjoyed sport, James first started running when he was at university and after managing his first mile, he decided to push himself further and take on the London Marathon in 2015.

“I clearly knew nothing about running as I did the whole thing in a pair of cotton Primark shorts and to this day, my family still quote me after I said, ‘never again,’ when I crossed the London Marathon finish line.”

“It wasn’t until I watched the Ironman Wales in September 2017 that I got back into running and it would take another five years before I did complete my first Ironman challenge following injuries and the pandemic.”

Since then, James has completed the two-mile Swim Serpentine, the100-mile ride London and will face the Nottingham Ironman Triathlon in July 2025.

Why I’m supporting Winston’s Wish

Having lost his father when he was just 14 through a sudden and unexpected heart attack, James has been an avid supporter of Winston’s Wish.

“It’s not until recently I’ve begun to realise the impact that his death really had on me and my own health. I never knew how to talk about him or respond when people asked about him, but I’ve gotten a lot better thanks to my wife and her encouragement to be a lot more open.”

“As a teacher, I’ve got lots of students who’ve gone through something similar to myself and I want them and other to be aware of the amazing work Winston’s Wish does. I wish I was aware when I was that age.”

“I hope that my challenges inspire somebody to do the same, raise money for a charity and push themselves to their limit.”

Feel inspired?

Has James’s mammoth Ultra Challenge and Iron Triathlon challenges got you inspired? Then look no further!

Take a look at our list of events and challenges happening throughout the year, all over the UK and pick the perfect challenge that pushes you further than ever before.

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Peter is taking on an Ironman challenge to raise money for Winston’s Wish, swimming 2.4 miles, cycling 112 miles and then finishing with a marathon, running 26.2 miles! Peter’s dad died in a car accident when he was 18 and so he chose to support Winston’s Wish to make sure other bereaved young people can get the support they need.

Tell us about your Ironman challenge

I’ve been into CrossFit for many years and reached competition level. When COVID-19 shut down the country and all the gyms closed, my two pals and I wanted to give ourselves a new challenge to keep us fit and look after our mental wellbeing. We had spoken previously about an Ironman challenge and so we re-visited the idea. Then Dan text me and said he had booked and paid for our places so there’s no going back now!

Why did you decide to support Winston’s Wish?

We all chose charities that were close to our heart for personal reasons. My Dad was tragically killed in a car accident when I was 18 and looking back at that time, I really could have done with some help and guidance and so I wanted to raise money to help make sure that other children and young people can get the help that I didn’t.

How have you had to adapt because of the coronavirus pandemic?

Thankfully we haven’t had to change too much, we are all keeping to our training plans individually and looking forward to being able to train together when the restrictions are eased. We haven’t been able to do any open water swimming yet due to the restrictions in place so I’m looking forward to some swim sessions as soon as I can. Our event isn’t until August so we are just really hoping the Ironman can go ahead as planned.

How is your training going?

Despite already being very fit and regularly cycling 30+ miles and lots of running, we are all taking the challenge seriously and have paid for professional training and nutritional plans to ensure that we are ready for event day and don’t pick up any injuries along the way. I’m really competitive and so I’m looking forward to pushing myself on the day and beating Dan and Mike! My biggest challenge is getting to grips with the logistics on the day like knowing where the transition stops are and what wetsuit etc I need so I still have lots of research to do!

You can follow Peter’s Ironman training and challenge via his Instagram.

Feeling inspired?

Take on a fundraising challenge of your very own and push yourself further than ever before! We’ve got loads of fun runs, marathons and obstacle courses to choose from.

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