Ger Prendergast (42) from Ballymun recently competed in and won the Brutal Events Continuous Decathlon. This epic feat involves a 38km (24 mile) swim, 1,800km (1,120 mile) cycle, and a 420km (262 mile) run. So in other words it is a brutal test of any human’s endurance and athletic ability. However, Ger is no stranger to Deca Ironman distance triathlons, in 2017 he took part in and won the one-a-day Brutal Event’s Deca Ironman where he took on an Ironman per day for 10 days.

Ger Prendergast Continuous Decathlon Winner

Ger was the only Irish man competing in this year’s continuous Deca Ironman, which just proves yet again how strong our little nation is. His times in each section were as follows:

  1. Swim: 14:48:00
  2. Cycle: 112:38:17
  3. Run: 96:33:52

You can see how he compared to the other competitors on Deca UK Results.

We caught up with Ger after his massive win to find out everything you need to know about what goes on in the mind of a continuous Deca competitor and winner.

Ger Prendergast

Q: What motivated you to start your journey to compete in the Deca?

A: I had completed and won DecaUK 2017 one-a-day format (10 iron distance triathlons in 10 days) so it was my goal to complete the other decathlon format, the continuous, as there are very few people who have finished both. I enjoy challenging myself in events that scare me and the Deca is certainly one of those events.

Q: How did you mentally prepare yourself to take on this feat?

A: I have gained some experience from previous events so I knew I could push myself through any adversity as it came my way. I visualized myself finishing each discipline of the triathlon and how it would feel when I did. I visualized myself walking over the finish line with the Irish tricolor raised high and to the music from the Last of the Mohicans and imagined how good that would feel. Then when I was struggling at points in the race I remembered that feeling and it gave me the motivation I needed to push through. I finished the race exactly how I visualized it.

Q: What was the toughest point of the race and how did you overcome it?

A: There were a few points where it got tough. I had stomach issues after getting off the bike and starting the run section so I was relegated to a walk for about fifteen miles. It didn’t cause me to lose my head though as I knew that the feeling would pass. I had a quick nap and when I started again the stomach issues had improved, I was able to run a bit with intervals of walking too, and as the day progressed it got better and better.

Q: What advice would you give to anyone who wants to follow in your footsteps?

A: The Deca is an incredible event and an amazing journey. If you put in the work necessary to complete such a mammoth event, the feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction you’ll get when you finish is unmatched. It takes a lot of time away from other things and it’s an expensive event to enter but what you get back is worth so much more.

Q: And finally, how did you feel when you won?

A: On top of the world, for my final lap I got to run in the opposite direction so I could say goodbye and good luck to the guys that were out on the course and I got to walk that lap with my family and crew which was brilliant. I was so happy to win as I had then become only the 5th person in the world to win both formats of the Deca, the one-a-day and the continuous.

By Killian Andersen

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