A DEVON vet will be taking on the world this Sunday when he competes in a major triathlon championship.
Frm vet Andy Stokes, who is based at Penbode Vets in Bradworthy, will be lining up to take part in the World Triathlon Championship finals in Spain.
Te event takes place in Pontevedra, northern Spain, and he will be competing in the 40-45 age group after qualifying at the Shropshire triathlon last autumn. The challenge he faces is a 1,500m (one mile) river swim, immediately followed a 40k (25 mile) bike ride and 10K run.
To ensure he’s in peak condition for the event and has the best chance of completing in his target time of two hours, Andy has been putting in 10 hours of training a week around his busy role at Penbode Vets, which includes visiting dairy farms around the area.
Andy, who is also a clinical director of Penbode Vets, where he’s worked for 19 years, said: “I couldn’t be prouder to be competing in the World Championship. I feel ready to take on the challenge having been working with a coach to ensure I have the best preparation possible.
"The Devon countryside is the perfect place to train as we have such amazing opportunities for outdoor swimming, and the hilly terrain is ideal for getting in peak condition for the running and cycling phases.
"Penbode Vets has been very supportive and I was able to take a sabbatical in July to really focus on my preparation and put in some extra hours of training.”
Andy will be one of 75 people from all over the world, including 14 athletes from Great Britain, who will be competing in his championship category.
It’ll be his second World Championship appearance as he competed 20 years ago in New Zealand, but says studying for his veterinary exams left him without sufficient time to train and he finished 66th out of 80 competitors.
He recalls: “I took my final exam, caught a plane to New Zealand and just hours after I landed I was standing on the start line, which made it a very daunting experience.
"This time round I’ve followed a detailed training programme and will head to Spain a few days before the championship, to help me acclimatise to the temperature and allow me to check out the course before the event.
"I haven’t set myself a particular goal as it’s just going to be so good to be there, but it would be nice to be one of the top five British finishers, which would hopefully see me finishing in the top 20 overall.
"Whatever happens, I want to enjoy the experience as much as possible and I’m just extremely proud to have made it to the finals.”
As well as being cheered on from home by his colleagues at Penbode Vets, Andy’s wife Gemma and sons Nathan, 10 and Matthew, six, will make up his support team in Spain.