'Deca Ironman Ger' took inspiration from Gerry Duffy
A man who is attempting to do 52 Ironman triathons in 52 weeks has been inspired by the achievements of Gerry Duffy.
Gerard Prendergast from Ballymun is undertaking his challenge to raise funds for Mental Health Ireland, in memory of his late brother-in-law.
Gerard is based at Lilliput Adventure Centre this weekend, and now (around 4pm on Friday August 3), he is doing the marathon leg of his third Ironman distance of five – he will do another tomorrow, possibly as an entrant in the Celtic Warrior, and another on Sunday.
Generally he is doing one Ironman a week, though in June he did three together.
He took an unusual approach in that he did the three swims (so three times 3.8km), the three cycles (three times 180km) and the three full marathons all together.
Having started his challenge in January, Ger’s typical time to complete the Ironman distance is 14 hours.
A fitness instructor who had always loved running, Ger met Gerry Duffy at a book signing, his sister Paula Prendergast told the Westmeath Examiner from Lilliput, where she was busy preparing Ger’s vegan meals this afternoon.
With Gerry Duffy’s story for motivation, Ger took up swimming and went on to win the DecaUK ultra endurance event in Windsor last year.
That is the race Gerry Duffy won in 2011. He wrote about his experiences in the book 'Tick, Tock, Ten'.
Ger beat the second place finisher by more than four hours.
Ger has also completed a number of Ironman full distance and 70.3 events in Dublin, Wales and Lanzarote.
The 37-year-old is married to Miriam and their sons Jake, Reece and Ben (aged 18, 12 and 11) are supporters, along with Ger and Paula’s 11 other siblings.
On his fundraising page, Ger writes: “I’ve created this page because I want to make a difference.
“I’m inspired by the work of Mental Health Ireland and wanted to support them by raising money.
“Please help me help them by giving whatever you can using the ‘Give Now’ button.
“The more people that know about Mental Health Ireland, the greater their impact, so please also spread the word by sharing my page with your friends and family.
“Thank you in advance for your generosity, it means a lot!”
(See give.everydayhero.com/ie/52-ironman-triathlons-in-52-weeks-2018)
Paula said: “He’s a huge inspiration to us all, he’s an amazing human being and we’re so proud of him.”
If you are around Lilliput Adventure Centre this weekend, look out for Ger, Paula and the rest of the family – they will have collection buckets, so you can donate to the cause.