Triathlete Matthew’s seven Ironmans for Rosemere
Lostock Hall triathlete Matthew Reith has showed his metal by completing an incredible seven Ironman events in just six months to raise £2,500 for Rosemere Cancer Foundation.
Matthew (38) began his challenge in Lanzarote in May with a full Ironman competition – 2.4 mile sea swim, 112 mile bike ride and full 26 mile marathon. He followed it with two half Ironmans in June in Nice and Bolton and another full Ironman in Vitoria-Gasteiz in Northern Spain a month later.
In September, Matthew completed a half Ironman in Austria. In October, he followed it with his third full Ironman in Barcelona, which saw him cross the finish line in his best full event time of 11 hours, 8 minutes.
Just a couple of weeks later, Matthew was back in Spain to take on his final half Ironman in Marbella.
Carrying an Achilles injury and after enduring a trio of bike ride punctures, Matthew was cheered home almost two hours later than expected by wife Wendy, 13-year-old son Daniel, Daniel’s best friend Caiden, mum Anne, his Aunt Roz, brother-in-law Graham and his wife Katy plus their daughter Phoebe (six) and son Freddie (two) and golfing friends Dal, Paul and Craig.
Matthew, who works for commercial landlords 4th Industrial, said: “I nearly didn’t finish my last event because of the punctures. You have to reach certain checkpoints within a certain time frame to be allowed to continue and I was very close to being swept up from the course. It wasn’t quite the celebratory home run I had envisaged as we also had a few other problems with left luggage and hire car issues.
“Now I’m home though, the emotion of it all has started to hit me. I undertook the challenge in memory of three people we lost recently to cancer - my Uncle Paul Banks, my father-in-law Jim Sudell and one of my best mates Walter Jones. They all lived in Preston and Rosemere Cancer Centre had been there for both Jim and Walter.”
Matthew continued: “I have had fantastic support from my family and friends for which I am very grateful. I also owe my sponsors a big thank you.
“Taking part in Ironmans is very expensive. Without 4th Industrial sponsoring my travel expenses and Nori Financial, which belongs to my friend Leigh Clayton, Graham & Sibbald, Contract Services, DLA Piper, Cushman & Wakefield, A Surman Building Contractors and GIA Surveyors, which are all companies I work with through my job and which covered my event entry fees, the challenge wouldn’t have been possible.”
Matthew added: “In addition, I’m indebted to my former coach Quin Beech, of Peak XV Tri Coaching, my current coach Ben Akin, of Tri Central UK, and to Jo Gore, sports massage therapist at Pro Fit Training. Together, they kept me fit enough to complete the races pretty much injury free.”
Entry to a half Ironman costs between £330-£350, while for a full Ironman, the fee is between £500-£600. Yvonne Stott, community and events fundraiser for Rosemere Cancer Foundation, said: “What Matthew has achieved is incredible.
“It’s a massive feat both physically and mentally to take on repeated endurance challenges of this kind one after the other, especially when there’s all the emotion of doing so to honour the memory of recently lost loved ones. Matthew also did a lot work to secure sponsors and supporters, which enabled him to fulfil the challenge he’d set himself and to raise a fantastic donation. We are humbled and very grateful.”
Matthew, who trains on his own apart from ad hoc sessions every now and again with groups of fellow Ironman competitors from throughout the North West, is planning to do more half and full Ironmans in 2025 with the ambition of reducing his full event time to under 11 hours.
Rosemere Cancer Foundation works to bring world class cancer treatments and services to cancer patients from throughout Lancashire and South Cumbria being treated at Rosemere Cancer Centre, which is the region’s specialist cancer treatment and radiotherapy centre at the Royal Preston Hospital, and also at another eight local hospital cancer units across the two counties, including that at Chorley and South Ribble Hospital.
The charity funds cutting-edge equipment, clinical research, staff training and innovative services and initiatives that the NHS cannot afford in order to make patients’ cancer journey more effective, comfortable and stress-free. For further information on its work, including how to make a donation, visit www.rosemere.org.uk