Here at Active Essex, we love sharing inspiring stories of Essex residents to help you Find Your Active. Today, we want to highlight our amazing colleague Neil Coggins, who albeit did something crazy, but shows where determination can get you! This time last weekend, Neil became an Ultraman.
His Triathlon journey started at Little Havens Children’s Hospice in August 2010 after his inspirational daughter, Megan had endured the most difficult challenge of all. Sadly, Megan’s journey ended but her memory and relentlessness of not giving up will live with him forever! Little Havens had provided Meg with amazing care and Neil and his family, couldn’t have got through it without them. Neil decided he wanted to give something back. He needed something to focus on, and more importantly to do something in memory of Megan. He sees it that he needs to put himself through the pain and experience he can only imagine Megan and other children at Little Havens have had to go through.
Not only has Neil completed the London marathon and many Triathlon events over the years to raise money for Little Havens Children’s Hospice, but he continues to challenge himself further, and Ultraman was his next conquest, which would have fallen on Megan’s 21st year.
Neil’s Ultraman event is not just for the average athlete and took him months and months of training to endure a 6.2mile swim, 262 mile bike ride and a 52 mile run over the course of 3 days, with the backdrop of Snowdonia.
Read about Neil’s incredible Ultraman experience below:
“Day 1 – 6.2 mile Swim followed by 90 mile Bike
So, the alarm went off at 5.30am, popped the kettle on to make my porridge, remember to put my speedo’s on under my clothes, then out to the van for 6 o’clock so me I could meet my team of Pete and Alan to drive to Bala Lake for the swim start. We arrived at the lake and the buoys were set up, to swim to 500m to the 1st buoy and swim back to 2nd buoy 10 times. The water was extremely cold, but whoosh off we went, however I quickly found they’d left me behind to swim in their wake, thinking – that’s probably the last of them I will see all day!
I had agreed with Alan that at every lap I would wave so he knew it was me and could count my laps and get ready for me if I needed nutrition. On the last 3 laps the water started to get rougher and the water started splashing in my face, I was getting colder, and I couldn’t see any other orange swim hats in site I just wanted to get this done.
Hurrah last lap the final time I will see that yellow buoy, I swam over to the finish line with the team and organiser and family cheering me in as the last competitor. Swim time 4:04:00
Next up was 90 miles on the bike and after a good 20-25 minutes trying to warm up and get ready, I set off. After spending the past 18 months training in Essex, I soon discovered that I had not done enough hill climbing on the bike, up and down I went, even when I thought the road was going down it still felt like it was going up! I reached the highest point of day 1 and then flew down the hill reaching 45 miles per hour, gripping the handle bars, squeezing in my bottom cheeks and hovering over my brakes like my life depended on it!
Time was going ok. I was confident that I would make the cut off, which was 12 hours each day. With 60km to go Al informs me it was going to be a bit lumpy! He was true to his word too, as I pulled into the finish line there were my crew, the organisers/marshals and Alvaro (who came in first) and the film crew. They all seemed very pleased to see me, I realised it was because I was last in and they probably wanted to go home! Bike time 06:41:00
Day 1 Total 10:45:00
Day 2 – 172 mile Bike
Sleep wasn’t great, legs where restless, did the morning routine porridge etc…and got the bike ready for 6:40 for the start of the race. The organiser’s did their briefing and we set off at 7am. After only 5k I could feel my legs starting to burn from the previous day and I knew it was going to be a tough long ride in the saddle. I continued to climb up and down the hills as I was surrounded by the breath-taking scenery of Snowdonia National Park. The rock faces of the mountains mirrored by the green hills as I looked to my left, along with waterfalls, streams, lakes, sheep and, more sheep!
I stopped to have my Bovril sandwiches for lunch before I headed back on the bike for the biggest climb of the event (3000m) on Pen-Y-Pass. Considering the biggest hill we can find in Essex is North Hill which is about 12% and about a mile long, this was over double the distance and nearly double the gradient, I gritted my teeth, got into my lowest gear, stood on my pedals and slowly reached the top.
I carried on over lots of big climbs, but my legs are getting really tired. I was worried I wasn’t going to make the cut off time. The light was starting to fade and I put in extra effort to get to the finish line, making it with just 9 minutes to spare!
Bike time Day 2 11:51:02
Day 3 – 52.4 miles, a double marathon run
After another restless night, the alarm goes off for Day 3…the run! My legs are aching from the past 2 days, but I knew I had 12 hours to become an Ultraman!
With 10k in my airpods begin to play ‘Rule the World’ by Take That (Meg’s song) and I thought to myself…this is why I am doing this, Meg will get you round. On the run I carry a light backpack which I have 2 bottles of water in and some gels, and the plan was to drink at least every 2km and a gel every 10km. Then grab additional food from the team as I needed it.
When I saw the forecast earlier in the week it was rain, they were wrong the sun was beating down reaching 25 degrees I was getting hot and tired as I reached the biggest climb of the day, it was a good 5km uphill. It was tough but so picturesque
The team met me with half a marathon to go to the end and Alan was going to pace me home. I was grateful for the wonderful support from the ‘Active Essex’ team Whatsapp group.
We had reached the home straight Al informs me all downhill from here about 11km to go. There it is Swallow Hotel, the finish line and Alan leaves me. I send a kiss up to Meg and ran over the finish line. It’s done I am an Ultraman!
Run time Day 3 09:58:00
I couldn’t have done it without my incredible team, family and friends’ support. I covered a massive 320 miles over 3 days. My body is sore, but I looked forward to a pint of Guinness and a cooked breakfast in the morning.”
Overall Time 32:34:02
Neil proudly wore his Find Your Active t-shirt whilst taking photographs and interviews and it’s great for us to help celebrate every achievement, no matter how big or small. We’re all so proud of Neil and his achievement and we hope that by sharing this it may inspire you to Find Your Active and one day become an Ultraman like Neil.
Neil Coggins is fundraising for Little Havens Children’s Hospice (justgiving.com)
