Ironman faces test of mettle

When Dublin's Mark Hogan won the lottery in April, his reaction was a little more anxious than most. The lottery he won was a place in the World Championship Ironman Triathlon in Hawaii next month. Over 50,000 vie for a place, most of them through qualification events, and 1,500 are accepted.

Hogan (33), came across the triathlon website last year, put his name down and forgot about it. Word arrived earlier this year that he had been pulled out of the hat for the the 2.4-mile swim, the 112-mile cycle and the 26.2-mile marathon. He had never done an Ironman before.

"I'd four to five months to get from zero to Ironman," he says. "It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It's very, very difficult to get into the race."

Hogan believes that it will take around two-and-a-quarter hours for the swim, eight hours for the bike ride and six or seven hours to run the marathon. He had to prove himself in a half-ironman to validate the position, found one in Germany and took six-and-a-half hours for trip. Given his targets, if he finishes in Hawaii he is looking at a time of around 16 hours.

The former age group Dublin hurler must do the swim without a wetsuit, the phase he sees as the most difficult part.

"Last year I'd swim 25 metres with difficulty. I've never swam 2.4 miles before."

The event takes place in Kailua-Kona and involves some of the best triathletes in the world. Bravado or inspiration? He'll find out on October 6th.