Ironman Steve stars at Norsemen

The 33-year-old, from Howsham, finished 18th overall out of a field of 350 ultra-fit competitors at the Norsemen Xtreme Triathlon.

The position made him the leading Brit at the punishing event, even surpassing professional triathlete Graeme Stewart.

Steve is part of a four-man British triathlon race team, sponsored by Britcon to embark on an international journey of competitive events this season.

He is currently the Middle Distance Triathlon European Champion for his age group, winning gold last year.

The Norseman Xtreme Triathlon is an annual point to point race held in Norway. The distances are equivalent to those of an Ironman race, starting with a 2.4-mile swim in freezing water followed by a 122-mile bike ride.

Having survived that, all completed in heavy rain, fog and freezing temperatures, entrants then had to complete a marathon run to the top of a mountain, climbing 11,000ft.

The punishing race is unsupported, meaning competitors needed personal back-up crews to follow them in cars and provide them with food and drink.

Steve well exceeded his own minimum aim which was to be in the top 160, the cut-off point for runners being allowed to undertake the final part of the run to the top of the mountain.

Those athletes are awarded a black finishers’ top and take the name Norsemen, with the rest following a different course and going home with a white t-shirt.

“The minimum I wanted was a black t-shirt, but I didn’t expect to be one of the top amateurs there,” he said.

“I wanted to be as close to the British professional as possible, so I was really chuffed to beat him by four minutes with a personal achievement of 12 hours 12 minutes.”

Shaun Hunt, chief executive at Britcon, the North Lincolnshire and Yorkshire-based building and civil engineering company, said, “We are immensely proud of Steve and his incredible achievement.

“Steve is a true hero and role model bringing glory to his Lincolnshire roots.

“We look forward to continuing our support to Steve alongside Ben Baugh, Steve Grocock and Jordan Skelly as they embark on further challenges.”