Four steely Monifieth athletes have battled their way through the muscle-burning Ironman triathlon to raise £3,000 for charity.
The foursome flew to Europe to line up in Ironman Austria, where they completed a 2.4-mile swim, followed by a 112-mile cycle riding to an altitude of 6,200 feet and finished with a full marathon.
The incredible test of endurance was made all the more difficult due to a heatwave which hit a sweltering 104 Fahrenheit.
Despite this, finishing Ironman was a moment to savour for John Suttie Smith (44) on his first attempt.
”It made the training and sacrifice all worth it truly a magical experience,” said the dad of two. ”Ironman was out of this world. It’s so inspirational.
“Everyone has their own reasons why they are there. There are people from all over the world, about 2,700 at the start of the event. There are people in their 60s and 70s doing something that is pretty full-on.”
Putting his body through the ultimate fitness test is a far cry from where John saw his life going a few years ago.
He successfully turned his lifestyle round and went from weighing 14-and-a-half stone to shedding three stone in the last four years.
Part of his motivation stemmed from being told he had high cholesterol. However, there was also his desire to raise money for charity after losing a friend to cancer.
He explained: ”I used to be an international hockey player and had a friend who I knew from when I played in the under-16s and through to the full international team.
”He and his mother lived in Leuchars and she was a lovely lady. She died following a seven-year battle with cancer and what my friend said was that throughout this time Macmillan Cancer Support were fantastic. That really was the catalyst for me raising money for charity.
”It happened when I was approaching 40, at a time of life when I suppose you do start to question things. At that time the only sort of physical exercise I was doing was playing the odd game of golf. I knew that if I didn’t change my lifestyle then that will be me, I will stay this way.
”I decided I wanted to do something for myself and for Macmillan Cancer Support. I was surfing the net and I stumbled across a triathlon club in Stirling. Before I knew it I had clicked ‘enter’ to one of their events.
”I couldn’t swim for more than a length and had damaged knees, but went for it anyway. It was a huge challenge for me, but after that I caught the bug.”
John’s love for fitness led him to become one of the founders of the Monifieth Tri-Club, known as M3, where he is now club president.
It was through M3 that he, along with fellow triathletes Mark McIntosh, Paul Fettes and Kirstin Carroll, signed up to Ironman Austria.
The foursome raised the impressive sum in aid of Tayside Kidney Patients Association, Tearfund and the Association for International Cancer Research.