A University of Bath student has completed the world’s first Eco Ironman triathlon – and in a very good time.
Environmentalist and sportsman Jon Alexander competed in his first Ironman riding a second-hand bamboo bike and wearing a limestone-based wetsuit and eco running shoes made from recycled fibres.
Jon completed the 3.8km swim, 180km cycle and full marathon run in a total time of 11 hours 32 minutes. While he was over three hours off the pace of the race winner, he still placed in the top half of the field, and takes pride in having beaten the original Ironman time of 11 hours 46 minutes. That time was set in 1978 in the first ever event, and is considered the benchmark for all Ironman ‘virgins’.
Jon’s aim in undertaking the event was to raise awareness among his fellow athletes of the impact their lifestyles have on the environment. He believes his results show that this impact can be significantly reduced with no decrease in performance.
Government-accredited offsetting firm Carbon Retirement worked with Jon to monitor his emissions in parallel with his training partner, and found the difference in transport and diet hugely significant.
To reduce his environmental impact, Jon travelled to both the Ironman competition in Barcelona and a week-long training camp in Slovenia by train. He also became vegetarian, ordering an organic vegetable box each week and using organic sports nutrition products. Both of these changes had a huge impact on his carbon footprint.
Dan Lewer, Co-founder of Carbon Retirement, said: “Jon’s carbon footprint is over 80 per cent lower than his training buddy. This is largely due to the greener travel choices he made, and his choice of a soy-protein vegetarian versus meat-protein diet.”
Jon Alexander said: “Our impact on the environment is something we should all be looking at as athletes. Travelling by train is far better preparation in terms of hydration levels, and a veggie diet is generally much more efficient in terms of energy delivery. With serious athletes consuming something like 5,000 calories a day and flying all over Europe, we can make big decreases in our carbon footprints while simultaneously improving performance.
“80 per cent is a big figure for the environment at the moment, and I’ve proved that with a little imagination, we can make things better all round.”
Jon is studying a part-time MSc in Responsibility and Business Practice at the University’s School of Management and credits the course with giving him the belief that he could take on the challenge.