Wandsworth athlete inspires others with his (almost) carbon neutral triathlon (From Your Local Guardian)

Wandsworth athlete inspires others with his (almost) carbon neutral triathlon

9:50am Friday 23rd October 2009 in

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An athlete who completed one of the world’s toughest triathlons on a bamboo bike and strictly vegetarian diet says he hopes his achievement will encourage people to consider the environmental impact of their exercise routines.

Jon Alexander also used a wetsuit made from rubber derived from limestone rather than petroleum and shoes constructed from recycled fibres rather than chemical solvents to compete in the Ironman race in Barcelona on October 4.

In preperation for the event, the 27-year-old, who works full time as a sustainability strategist, shunned gyms in favour of running the towpaths between Wandsworth and Chiswick and cycling from his home in Oakhill Road to Oxford.

The regime often involved 40 hours exercise a week.

“It's as much about a passion for nature as it is about a desire to reduce my carbon footprint,” he said.

“I believe that more genuine environmental behaviour change is going to come from a better understanding of our relationship with nature rather than from energy companies telling us to switch our lights off.”

And to further minimise his environmental impact Jon met his 5,000-calories-a-day dietary needs without meat and travelled to and from Barcelona by train.

“All athletes are environmentalists at heart, if you define environmentalists as people who love the natural world.

“But we fly all over the world, we burn through a load of food, and we use a huge amount of specialist gear.

“None of the big triathlon suppliers even seem to have an environmental policy. It’s pretty poor.”

Before the event, Jon admitted that he was terrified of the pain he was going to put himself through.

“You meet a pretty dark side of yourself about 20 miles into a marathon and the fear is that it'll be much worse during an Ironman,” he admitted.

But after completing the 3.8km swim, 180km ride and marathon run in 11h32m he said the pain had been worth it.

“I can't pretend that I've made a massive difference to the psychology of all sportsmen, and in one hit lit the fire of a new generation of eco-athletes. But something has been started."

In total, Jon's carbon footprint was 80 per cemt smaller than his training partner's.

“I’m trying to lead by example and show that you don't have to have a high environmental impact to be an athlete,” he said.

Jon raised more than £2,500 in sponsorship money, which will go to The Wilderness Foundation - a charity encouraging children to take an interest in the natural world.

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