Celtman 2025 - For Paulo
Celtman 2025 - Dedicated to my wee Bro Paulo
Hey! Well as the title of this blog will tell you I did it:) This blog has been in draft since July last year. What the title will also tell you is that in August we received the devastating news that my wee brother Paulo had passed away suddenly from natural causes in Australia. I would like to dedicate my completion of the race to Paulo and all the energy, enthusiasm and fun he brought to his life, and his life down under with his 2 boys, Mitch and Fletch.
As I have reflected on these two moments since, I can only conclude these paradoxes demonstrate the complicated reality we existence in:
Hope is never lost, no matter how bad your circumstances are. With determined and focused effort and hard work, and a colossal amount of support from others you can achieve anything.
This is not a dress rehearsal and you never know what tomorrow will bring. So live life to the fullest, be authentic and spend mindful quality time with the people that you love.
In truth I am still digesting that on the 14th of June 2025 I completed Celtman. It now seems like a lifetime ago. It is an extreme Iron Man in the North West of Scotland. This in any circumstances would be something I would have been very proud of. Given I suffered a life altering accident in June 2018 rendering me possibly not walking again, I am beyond proud of myself, but also a little bit disbelieving. It has sunk in, but also feels a little bit surreal.
As those of you that have followed my blog that has tracked my recovery will know, this has been the team effort of all team efforts. And I am so grateful for the vast amount of support I have received from friends, family and health professionals that have never lost faith in me. There have been many ups and downs on the way, but if anything it does demonstrate that anything is possible with patience, the right action, incredible support, belief and time :)
On the 28th of June, 2025 it was 7 years from the day that my life was altered by a life changing accident. My prognosis was not good, but I chose to fight and do everything that I could to make the chances of a positive outcome as high as they could be. I was, I have been told hours from not being here. I will be forever grateful to the emergency services and the first responders on the day (including the kids step Dad Paul) for saving my life.
To that end, I sit here writing this having made almost a full recovery. I am back competing in Triathlon ( You are about to hear about Celtman :)) , the sport I love and able to make a positive contribution in my community.
There are likely aspects of me that I probably won’t ever get back, but I think they have been more than replaced by the ever changing and hopefully improving version of me you see. The body is an amazing bit of kit if we have patience and give it the support, encouragement and appropriate action to get better. We learn till the day we die, do we not.
The help and support I have received from family, friends, the medical profession and several charities has been incredible, and I wouldn’t be where I am without it. Another lesson of the importance of having great people in your life.
The main purpose of this blog is to give you a full run down of my day out at Celtman in June last year. Almost 7 years to the day of the accident and memorable in that I named this blog intensivecare2celtman as a goal. As I learnt to walk again following the accident. I thought why not shoot for the stars.
I have been raising money for 2 charities that helped me in my recovery. The Oxygen Works and Headway Highland do amazing work in the Highlands for many people, so any money you can spare to help them keep doing great work is gratefully received.
So to Celtman 2025
What is Celtman?
Celtman is an extreme Iron Man distance triathlon. So roughly the same distances as an Iron Man race but over more challenging terrain. In the case of Celtman you swim 3.4k in rough water filled with Jelly Fish and other marine wildlife, Cycle 200k over a hilly road route (2.2k of elevation) and then finish with a mountain marathon across largely tough rocky trails. And if you are “fast’ or “lucky”enough, you get to add more elevation to your run by taking on 2 Munros that are peaks in excess of 915m.
Entry and Training
Incredibly given the challenge above Celtman is so popular it is a ballot entry race. We humans do like tests, do we not. So you put your name in the hat in November the year before the race and hope for the best. I had preaccident entered the ballot a couple of times but was unsuccessful. So as I recovered from the accident I thought about what could be my North Star. And the blog and the goal were born. I had entered the ballot in 2022 and then bought a dog! I immediately thought if I get in, how am I going to train for this race and train a dog. My thoughts were I would likely do both badly!! So I got in touch with Stuart at CXTRI who very graciously rolled over my ballot entry. I then realised I was going to be busy in summer 2024 so rolled it over again. Good to go in 2024s ballot so I entered and for good measure put my name in again. After lots of nerves for what I think was a week, I got the email…..I was in!!!! Quite shocked given how competitive it is but very excited as well. I immediately booked a hotel for the Saturday night of race weekend thinking that was the night before the race. Woops!! Haha although in the end having a comfy bed the night after the race was divine intervention. And the night before it would have been wasted. The campsite as I will explain was perfect.
Training was great until 6 weeks out from the race. I had followed an 80/20 half IM training plan before Solo Point 5 in 2022 and that worked really well. So I downloaded an 80/20 Full IM training plan and got started. There will be some lessons that I will reflect on at the end but specificity was one. Not enough long brick runs on appropriate terrain, not enough running full stop on appropriate terrain and not enough strength work.
I managed to fit in 2 trips to Spain in February and April to my good friends Noz and Jubi at CHS, epic cycling training facility in Spain that I have covered in another bog, some long hilly rides and managed the Etape Loch Ness in April and the Bealach Na Ba sportive in May with Claire, my long time masseuse from Inverness Sports Massage. This all helped with bike fitness. Swimming was progressing well and I had started training with the Tri club again which was really beneficial. Running had been good with regular speed sessions at the UHI with Cam. Where I had not been so good at focusing on was regular brick sessions and longer runs on more varied terrain as noted above. I had been doing regular strength work since October but on reflection this should have been a staple part of training for a lot longer. Particularly given my advancing years.
6 weeks out from Celtman I did a 2 and half hour steady bike followed by a one hour interval brick session. It felt good at the time, but over the next week my knee started to feel a bit sore. Cycling was still fine and the following Sunday I did the Etape Loch Ness. I had no expectations and set out to see it as a hard training ride on the way towards Celtman. I felt really strong after all the cycling in Spain and actually went round in a PB of 3.07. Doing quite a lot of the work on the front of a group coming back to Inverness. Fueling was great and energy never dropped off all the way round. I had used Maurten in my bottles so another big tick in the box for what I would use at Celtman. I then supported my friend Cam on his incredible challenge to run the NC500 by running 60k over the Bealach Na Ba. We did a lot of power hiking as well as some running. My knee was ok but the next day it started to feel a little sore again. On returning to Inverness I checked in with my Physio Dave and he diagnosed a grade 1 MCL tear given my range of movement and the pain. The plan was RICE, gentle mobility and appropriate strength to try and get things back on track for Celtman. Injuries are part of endurance training and I was quite relaxed given I had overcome issues in the lead up to Aberfeldy middle in 2024 with Dave's help. I would possibly try to run nearer the race but fundamentally not risk further injury. In the end I focused on bike, swim and strength work primarily and hoped on the day the knee would hold up. To be fair given the type of run we would do, there wouldn’t be a lot of running. I did a couple of Munro days over the next 6 weeks as the body was ok with that. It was not ideal, but given the injury put Celtman a little in doubt I was keen to give myself every chance. I was missing out on the big bike/run training days that were in the plan, which was not ideal, but I was determined to make it to race day with a chance of completing.
Prep 2 weeks out
Injury aside, there was lots to get ready. Kit had to be considered and picked. For all weather possibilities! Camping kit had to be organised. My team had to be briefed and logistics sorted. The kids were coming to support so their accommodation and food etc had to be planned. Fueling had to be planned for what turned out to be 16 hours. So lots to get organised. Lists and project plans were developed.
Prep 1 week out
All the details were coming together. Fletch was driving the support van, Cam was supporting in the van for pit stops and fueling on the bike and then Cam was running with me over the first section to T2A and beyond to the finish. I had to prep all the stages of the kit for swim, bike, run and make sure we had the required kit for the run which was checked for safety reasons at registration on the Friday before race start at 0500 hrs on the Saturday. I took my time and systematically went through all the stages to make sure I had everything (see pic) and included an emergency bike repair kit to have in the van in case of any major mechanicals on the day. It even included replacement wheels etc! (thankfully not needed).
I had a box full of all the nutrition that included Maurten Powder, Styrkr Bars and Electrolyte tabs to ensure my body never dropped below the levels required on the day. This was a fueling test as well as a physical one!
Race weekend
I picked up Cam early on Friday morning. We were going to head to Torridon early to set up camp at the campsite in advance of the kids getting there. On the drive we went through the Achnasheen roundabout and to the top of the hill for my one of my favourite views……I would be bombing down here on the bike the next day all being well.
The View
The kids had been on holiday in the Hebrides with their Mum and StepDad the previous week so were driving back across from Skye and meeting us in Torridon. There was plenty of space in the campsite so we set up and wandered up to the Torridon hall to register. Pre race briefing was later in the afternoon so we decided to have lunch at the cafe after registration.
Our kit checks were all good so we were good to go for the race. The kids were due to arrive in the afternoon so we settled in. Charlie was with me and he was loving all the attention :) The Kids duly arrived and Andrew had his girl friend Eleri with him too which was lovely. The kids were going to support Andrew's car and look after Charlie during the day too. We chilled at the hall and caught up with a lot of people I knew from the CXTRI and Triathlon Inverness scene :) The legend that is Jimmy Dryden in particular, regaling us with all his Celtman stories which the kids loved!
We did the briefing in the hall and it was all starting to get very real. Game on. Then headed down to the camp for an early pasta dinner that I had pre-made before attempting to get some sleep in advance of getting up at 2:15 the next morning. Yip, you read that night. James was coming across the evening to sleep in his camper near the campsite and then meet us as we aimed to leave about 2:30 to get to T1 to set up and get dibbers and safety trackers before boarding the bus to the swim start at 4. James and his wife Kate had recently had a second daughter so he couldn’t make it sooner. I had decided to sleep in my van with Charlie and the kids in a big tent. So I got tucked up at 1900hrs and incredibly the weather was looking ok and not even many midges about.
Race Day
T1 set up
I had managed to get a couple of hours of sleep between 8 and 10 and then napped till about 2. I was quite relaxed about the sleep thing in taper week. I had got myself very stressed a few years previously in advance of Solo Point 5 and not getting much sleep the night before. During that period of not sleeping I started to read about the sleep thing the night before a race. And learnt that it is common. As the nerves and adrenalin take over. But, and this is the key bit, well 2 bits, if you have done a good taper and are well rested up in advance the night before race day, less sleep on that night is not an issue. And the second aspect of the night before/day of the race is nerves. Again completely normal and your body preparing to perform in the race. If you channel them into performance and excitement all good. So by the time we headed over to set up T1 after a bowl of overnight oats (fuelling had started ;)) I was feeling excited. We did the last bike check before putting the bike into T1, I got it all set up and then got the wetsuit on before registering for dibbers and the safety tracker. We saw a guy taping the safety tracker to the bike (as obvs you can’t take it on the swim) and thought, good idea. More on that later!
Then it was on the bus for 4 and round to the swim start
The Swim
The swim start is 3.4km across the bay from Sheildaig. The drive round is spectacular as Beinn Aligan comes into view and this particular morning the sunrise was also pretty special. I had a lovely chat with a chap on the bus and I was reflecting that 7 years ago I had an accident that put me in a coma from which I was told I may never walk again. To say I was grateful that I had progressed to a point I could take on the challenge of one of the hardest triathlons in the UK, if not the world was an understatement. I would never take anything for granted ever again. I was just soaking it all in as we travelled the few kms round to the start. We disembarked from the buses into a field and as all triathletes in a field will do at the start of the race people were making themselves more comfortable. As we all gathered in the field the sun rose, and the only midges I was aware of all day come out to feast, the now iconic Celtman logo was set alight behind us we all mustered for the photo…
Celtman Start 2025
And a local pipe and drum band dressed in suitably wild and rustic attire were creating a phenomenal atmosphere to get us fired up and ready for “battle”. The lead singer even gave us a “Braveheart” speech to get us 100% ready to go.
Stuart and Paul were beginning to encourage/coral us into the water for the fast approaching swim start at 0500hrs and we paddled slowly out into the bay to form a line between 2 kayaks. The horn went off and 200 odd people started thrashing their way through the water. The conditions had been kind to us and chop was ok with a tide helping us back towards Sheildaig. The swim is my weakest of the 3 disciplines but recent improvements along with favourable conditions meant I was, dare I say it “enjoying the swim”. I was sighting well and once again making sure to be present and take it all in with a lot of gratitude. Before I knew it we were coming round the island with a view of the exit point. And the band had relocated in the meantime to recreate the incredible vibe as we made our way into transition and our waiting teams. I had a goal time in my head of 1hr 15 and remarkably had come out in 1hr 05 and well ahead of schedule.
T1
As anyone that has done a long cold water swim will know getting out of the water is a challenge. You go from horizontal to vertical very quickly and the temperature change is also a challenge for the body to deal with. A bit wobbly is an understatement, and at least in this race you have one of your team on hand to help you start getting the wet suit, hat, goggles and gloves off and into the Tri suit you have on underneath. Then the shoes go on and you start making decisions about gloves, jackets etc due to current weather conditions. I had put a base layer on under the Tri suit and that proved to be the right decision. Breathable and warming depending. I went with warmer gloves and a warmer gilet to ensure I didn’t get too cold initially out of the water knowing I could change at our first planned stop of 50k. On reflection probably a tad too warm but you just don’t know and have to make quick decisions. In amongst all of this I was throwing bars down my throat to keep the constant fueling on the go. And off we went to the mount line and up the hill out of Shieldaig.
The Bike
The first section of the bike from Shieldaig to Torridon was always going to be a challenge but at this stage you are fresh and raring to go. The wind was already making itself known and this was going to be a big feature of the first 150km. I am quite good on the bike, and despite not having a TT bike, was starting to pass faster swimmers with reasonable frequency. I was also getting passed by stronger bikers and there was a theme. They were mostly on TT bikes. Lesson 1 - for next time a TT bike into any wind is an advantage. I can get quite aero on a road bike but not as aero as a TT bike. All the way to Kinlochewe we had a cross/head wind. As soon as we hit Kinlochewe we had a taily most of the way to Gairloch and I was making fantastic speed, passing a few more bikes. Just before we hit Gairloch James and Cam had set up the first pit stop at 50k and we switched out the 2 bottles for new ones, I took on a couple more bars and I dropped off the Gilet and gloves as I was now starting to slightly overheat. But all things considered I was going well and the average speed was broadly on target. The fuelling/pitstop plan was going to be stops at 50k, 100k and 150k. This was to top up nutrition and deal with any kit changes depending on weather. The plan was a bottle of Maurten an hour with 90g of carbs and bars with 40/50g of carbs to top this up. The Maurten bottles also had High Five Electrolyte tabs in them. One thing you cannot do in a long distance event is run out of fuel. I had used Maurten in previous races and Styrkr bars in training so knew my body was all good with this fuel. The only exception to this stop plan was if I had a mechanical issue which could change things and thankfully I didn’t:)
I later found out that Cam and Fletch had discussed how to interact with me at these changes too. Having both done long distance endurance events they knew that the “athlete” is having a long conversation with themselves which can be positive and negative depending on changing conditions. And that was so true given the wind. They were not going to engage on that front at all and were instead going to talk about the process and stay positive. I am generally quite self contained and positive, but 7.5 hours in that wind proved to be a challenge. I am so glad they took the approach they did, as there were times, particularly between 100k and 150k, that the wind was taking its toll and I was questioning the whole endeavour. But we got through it. From Garve back to Kinlochewe we had a taily and following a 15min stop due to a car crash and the riders had bunched up just before Garve. After the restart I passed about 20 bikes on the first climb and then pulled away. I was always strong on hills so passed a few more before we hit the incredible view point as you drop into Kinlochewe. I was feeling beyond positive now as I emptied myself going down the hill and must have hit nearly 80kph.
T2
As I came into T2 I had been thinking that a power hike may be the only way to complete the race with my knee not having been 100% on the bike. Cam and Fletch were beyond measured at T2 and got me sorted out pretty quickly as they maintained process and positive chat. We were supposed to take our safety tracker with us!! You have a tracker on your bike and then throughout the run, primarily from a safety perspective, but also so people at home can track your progress throughout the day. We got our Salomon race packs on headed off.
The Run
As I have already said the kids had been supporting from Andrew's car all day and they had arrived in Kinlochewe to cheer me on as I started the run. As we were in power hike mode, Cam just said to me. Right the kids are up here so make sure you run past them at the very least. They have been incredible support all day. I knew we needed to cross the road and then take on the first few km of pretty rough terrain before we get onto a fire track as I had recced it a few weeks earlier. The benefits of living so close to the race location. I had been up doing the Bealach Na Ba sportive in May for my friend Claire's 40th pressie and had managed a swim that afternoon in Loch Torridon where the race was taking place, and then hiked (rather than run) the first half of the run the next day due to the knee issue. Incredibly when I started running on Cam's instruction the knee felt ok. So run past the kids I did, and then kept running. It wasn’t fast or pretty but I was moving ok. A few faster runners went past us but that was ok. You don’t have to have your support runner for this first section but Cam had agreed to do the whole run, and boy did I need the support. About 3k into the run over perhaps the worst section terrain wise, there was a rustle in the foliage. We turned round and Andrew was standing there holding out a tracker!! Cam and I just looked at each other in disbelief. All he said was “you forgot this” and popped it in my race pac! And we headed off. We later found out that at transition we had completely forgotten to detach it from the bike, Fletch noticed and then asked Andrew to run after us. Thankfully he is a very fit lad….A big thankyou to Andrew :):) You have a dibber so I don’t think it takes you out of the race, but for people tracking they were perplexed as to why I wasn’t moving….and then I was again. Shortly after this we were running again and just before you climb up a very steep hill there is an aid station. More incredible volunteers in the middle of nowhere with food and sweets to keep you going!! I would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to everyone of the volunteers. Amazing. After the incredibly steep climb we were running again. And due to the delay at Garve due to the crash, time had been added on for people trying to get to T2A quick enough to do the high route. We were working things out on the hoof and we think if I had been able to run a 30min 5k (possible in normal circumstances) I might have been quick enough to do the high route. Sadly this was not normal circumstances, although in the end I think I was between 8 and 13mins outside the cutoff time. As it often does in this part of the world the weather had intervened and the high route had been shut for safety. I was delighted to be that close given my knee issues and there were times on the bike I was questioning even carrying on. More reminders of the power of the mind and you must keep moving forward.
Mark and Cam T2A
So after some medical attention at T2A (I had stacked it on the run, thankfully only flesh wounds to hands and legs) we were off again. Not a lot of running going on by now and the simple mantra was keep moving and one foot in from of the other. The low route goes round the back of Liathach and intersects folk coming off the high route for a few k. 30 people had been quick enough to get over the Munros b4 the weather warning and we passed a few people heading down for the last 10k on the road. We were edging ever closer. The track round the back of Liathach is very technical so it was slow going by now. The knee was remarkably holding up but any false move could leave me struggling to get home. More volunteers, more sweeties and more encouragement from Cam kept me going.
Eventually we got to the Beinn Alligan car park which meant about 4k to go, the last of which would be on the road back to the Torridon Hall. I always endeavour to run races in and this was no different. I started running with 3k to go and with about 1.5k to go Andrew joined us as he had done when I completed Solo Point 5 3 years before. This time he had Charlie with him. It was an amazing and surreal feeling to be running up the hill to the Torridon hall. All the thoughts of the last 7 years were exploding in my mind as I crossed the line!! Hannah, Aimee and Eleri were there and I just fell into Aimee and Hannah's arms after an almighty roar of I am not sure what. Joy, excitement, fatigue, accomplishment.
Celtman Finish 2025
After 237km of effort I was a little wrecked and Stuart and Paul handed me a Celtman beer ... .first one in 7 months…..more hugs for Andrew, Cam and then food in the hall. I was just so satisfied and a little overwhelmed. Lots of Tri Club folk in the hall to chat to and then Andrew drove us back to the hotel that I had “accidentally” booked 9 months previously. What an incredibly fortuitous accident. I had a pint of Guiness and promptly crashed out.
A fabulous brekkie the following morning at the hotel and then Andrew picked Cam, Aimee and I up to head up to the hall to get our T-shirts and the group photos would be taken. More brekkie, chats with fellow participants and possible plans to come back next year for a Blue T-shirt…..Not this year…..but maybe some time……
The CEO of one of the charities I am raising money for Leigh-Ann was there as her husband Craig had also competed. He was also raising money and we got a great photo together.
An amazing experience and you know what is coming next. Well 3 things. Firstly if you have any spare pennies I would be grateful for any last donations you can make. Secondly, whatever your circumstances, with a positive mindset, a plan, hard work, lots of determination and support you can achieve anything…..I can’t wait to hear your stories too :) and lastly, spend quality mindful time with those that you love as you have no idea what is round the corner.
I am dedicating this to Paulo, and I will forever have his enthusiasm, positivity and laughter in my heart :)
Paulo - Ma Wee Bro
