Brackley man to take on epic Guinness World Record triathlon challenge this weekend

Triathlete Tony Hopkin hopes to complete the monster challenge this weekend in around 32 hours.

To set the new world record the 38-year-old hopes to cover a distance of 517km without stopping for more than five minutes.

Tony begins the world record attempt with a 16km swim at Pitsford Reservoir in Northamptonshire before jumping on his bike and cycling 400km across Northamptonshire and Buckinghamshire.

To conclude, Tony will return to Brackley to complete the final leg of his challenge, which will involve running 100km (approximately 103 laps) around St James Lake.

Starting at 5am on Saturday (June 14) Tony hopes to have set the new Guinness World Record by midday on Sunday (June 15).

However, to set a new record, Tony must abide by a set of rules, which include covering certain percentage splits of each discipline and ensuring he doesn’t stop for more than five minutes during the challenge.

Speaking about his worries about the challenge, Tony said: “I’m less concerned about the running section because I can always walk if I get uncomfortable but on the bike, you have to stop.”

Tony will be cycling and running through much of the night, but he will be supported by a welfare van, timekeepers and various friends who will cycle alongside him to help keep him motivated and to ensure his safety.

To fuel the gruelling 32-hour non-stop triathlon, Tony will take on roughly 11,000 calories and 2,200 grams of carbohydrates made up of flapjacks, rice crispie bars, sweets, energy gels, crisps and pretzels.

No stranger to pushing himself to his limit, Tony took on a gruelling challenge last year that saw him complete a different endurance event each month.

Tony said: “I spent last year doing a year of endurance events to raise money for SOS SEN (charity for parents and carers of children with SEND) and New Leaf Learning (a nature-based charity that works with children struggling to engage in mainstream education).

“I took on one endurance event each month of the year, which included ultramarathons, multiple triathlons over a weekend, various triathlons and a swimming marathon.

Tony is taking on the incredible challenge to not only put himself in the record books but also raise money for a charity, which has helped his son.

He said: “I’m fundraising for New Leaf Learning because my son was struggling to engage in education and his school gave him the opportunity to go to New Leaf.

“At New Leaf, they taught him about coping mechanisms for dealing with stressful situations, problem-solving, teamwork and things like that.

“It had a real positive impact on my son. After he came back from New Leaf his engagement with the school was a lot better.”

New Leaf Learning is based at Courteenhall Farms in Northamptonshire and uses nature-based learning techniques to enable children to engage in education better.

Tony added: “It’s a very useful but small charity and I hope to raise some funds for them so they can increase their reach and help more children through its programme.”

Supporting Tony’s world record attempt are wet suit company Sumarpo, Swimcube swimming coaches, the Bike Barn Workshop, Precision Fuel and Hydration, George Fox cycling solutions, TR Partnership Homes, Topo Land Surveys and SaintGobain.

For more information, or to donate to Tony’s fundraiser, visit: https://localgiving.org/fundraising/World-Record-Attempt-Longest-Triathlon