Surgeon's triathlon challenge

From the operating theatre to the athletics field - Ipswich Hospital orthopaedic surgeon Mark Bowditch is swapping one tough task for another this weekend.

Mr Bowditch and his wife Lucy, are competing in the Ironman UK Triathlon this Sunday, September 7. The grueling event includes a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike ride and a 26.2mile run.

Around 1,500 people will take part in the event in Sherborne, Dorset.The swim is in Sherborne Castle lake and the run and bike ride are around the castle’s grounds and the surrounding area of Dorset and Somerset.

Mr Bowditch, a specialist knee/ankle and sports surgeon, said: “Lucy and I have been in training for nine months. We have had to be very disciplined to follow a training regime of 20+ hours per week. It has been hard work but we have enjoyed the pleasures of the countryside from open water swimming in the Deben to cycling the length and breadth of Suffolk and Essex backroads.

Mr and Mrs Bowditch have done triathlons before but never one with such long distances.

This weekend the pair are raising money for HEADWAY Ipswich , a charity which supports patients with long-term effects from head/brain injuries. Mrs Bowditch is a volunteer worker with the Ipswich branch, based on the Ipswich Hospital site.

If you would like to pledge sponsorship for Headway Ipswich, please click here to e-mail Lisa Hume.