Celebrity chef takes part in grueling endurance test, is incredibly proud of it

Oct 15, 2013 10:23 GMT  ·  By
Gordon Ramsay shows off his new figure, which he got training for the Hawaii Ironman
   Gordon Ramsay shows off his new figure, which he got training for the Hawaii Ironman

Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay is always up for a challenge, whether in the kitchen or outdoors. His latest dare was taking part and completing the Hawaii Ironman triathlon, formerly known as Hawaii Ironman World Championship.

The Los Angeles Times describes it as “the granddaddy of all triathlons,” noting that it’s one of the most difficult events of the kind. Of the 80,000 applicants who enter it yearly, only about a couple of thousand actually get to the start line.

Even fewer make it to the finish line in the timeframe set by organizers and, the same media outlet stresses, Ramsay was one of them.

His time was of 14 hours, 4 minutes and 48 seconds, which means he qualified for an Ironman shirt and title. All those who participated in the event, which kicked off at 7 in the morning, had until midnight to make it to the finish line.

However, for many, the challenge was in completing and not necessarily in completing it in the given timeframe.

“Now Ramsay, 46, has turned his attention to the granddaddy of all triathlons, the storied competition formally known as the Hawaii Ironman World Championship, a grueling race that involves a 2.4-mile [3.86 km] ocean swim, a 112-mile [180.2 km] bike ride and a marathon – a 26.2 mile [42.1 km] run,” the LA Times reports.

“Ramsay was never in any danger of missing the [midnight] cutoff. He finished the swim in 1:20:21 and the bike ride in 6:35:54. But he was clearly suffering during the marathon. He started out with a pace of 9 minutes, 50 seconds per mile. But by about mile 19, he was clocked at 20:02 minutes per mile,” the same media outlet adds.

He still made it to the finish line in time, and he was incredibly proud of it. He tweeted thanks to his supporters and sponsors, and congratulated everyone else who took part in the race.

He also joked that he already had several good ideas about his next book because he had to occupy his mind with something while biking such a great distance.