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Decio’s Iron Man for the rainforest

Most people go to the south of France to eat great food, drink wine, and swim in the sea. Not Decio Ferreira …

WHAT DID YOU DO?
I did the Ironman Nice 2015, one of the hardest Ironman courses.

It’s a 3.8 km swim, 180 km bike ride (which in Nice takes you up the mountains) and a 42.2 km Run (marathon distance). I did the whole thing in 12 Hours 7 minutes. 3 hours quicker than I had planned for.

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO RAISE MONEY FOR COOL EARTH?
My friend had previously raised money for Cool Earth, and when I found out what the charity is about I liked it. I like the fact that I’m helping planet earth, and not just by recycling.

BEST BIT?
The whole thing, it was just amazing: the crowd, the vibe, everything. But I have to admit the cycle was very cool, seeing amazing views from up the mountains.

WORST BIT?
No real worst bit, but the run started to introduce a little pain, and towards the end, it was quite painful. The training for it is pretty hard – it takes a lot of your time to train for an Ironman.

ADVICE TO OTHERS?
Be comfortable with your swimming, and practise some water polo, because that will help with all the arms and feet everywhere.

And of course make sure you practise the other disciplines. But above all, getting a training coach and working your nutrition on the day, is extremely key. On the day my nutrition worked perfectly.