Ironman comes to Staffordshire: Celebrities and athletes to show their true grit

Ever since comedian and unlikely athlete Eddie Izzard ran 43 marathons in 51 days, the achievement of running 26.2 miles in one go has lost some of its sheen.

Triathlons are what it's all about now, and among this elite section of the exercising fraternity, the Ironman is the one to conquer. It's the go-to race. Celebrities challenge each other on chat shows to take part; some actually go through with it.

This weekend's Staffordshire 70.3, or half-Ironman, at the historic Shugborough estate, near Stafford, will be graced by TV chef Gordon Ramsay and his wife Tana.

Sports commentator and former England footballer Danny Mills is also taking part, along with veteran triathlete Sky presenter Charlie Webster.

Early banter about TV presenter Jonathan Ross competing quickly fizzled out although he has promised to support the event.

CANNOCK CHASE HOTSPOT – BIKE: A spectator area will be open from 8.30am to 1.30pm at the Visitor's Centre on Brindley Heath Road, where people can watch as the athletes slow down to turn back into the Chase for the final section of the bike course.

Catering, toilets and entertainment will be available. The first athletes are expected from just after 9am. Parking is available on Brindley Heath Road, which should be approached from the south via Rugeley Road.

SHUGBOROUGH ESTATE – RUN & FINISH: The second transition, run course, and finish-line. Advanced parking tickets for Shugborough are available online from the Stafford Gatehouse and the Ironmen websites at £12 per car.

CHASEWATER COUNTRY PARK – SWIM: The swim start at Chasewater will be staggered between 7am and 8.30am, with the final athlete leaving the water at 9.40am. The Chasewater site is locked down to traffic so the car parks on site will be unavailable. Park at Shugborough and catch the bus.

GREAT HAYWOOD: Athletes will run down Main Road in Great Haywood from Trent Lane to Meadow Lane three times. This stretch is expected to be buzzing with activity between 9.30am and 5pm.

WOLSELEY BRIDGE: The bike course will be live from 9.15am to 1.45pm on the A513 and A51 roundabout. Spectator traffic can approach from the north and park at the pub and garden centre. You cannot get to this location from Rugeley on the A51 due to road closures. Access is from the Great Haywood and Weston direction, so this is better for spectators approaching from the north or Stafford itself, via the A518.

KINGS BROMLEY, YOXALL and NEWBOROUGH: Residents here are well placed to enjoy the athletes coming through on their bikes between 8am and 11am.

BUSES: Park and ride buses will be available in three phases: Shugborough to Chasewater 4.30-6.55am. Athletes go free and will take priority over spectators.

Chasewater to Shugborough (via Cannock Chase), 8-10am. Buses will take spectators back to Shugborough via the Cannock Chase spectator hotspot.

Shugborough to Cannock Chase to Shugborough: 8.40am-1.30pm. Buses will do a loop between the hotspot and Shugborough so those spectators who arrive later can get out to the bike course via the bus system.

As proof of the three-discipline event's popularity, the Staffordshire Ironman sold out in just 14 minutes - hailed as 'phenomenal' by organisers - and is believed to be the fastest-selling UK Ironman ever.

Courses vary, and this one promises a fast, flat route for athletes, with a cycling element that features considerably fewer hills than some other Ironman races. Flatter or not, it's still one of the toughest endurance tests that ordinary mortals like you and I could take on.

The Staffordshire challenge consists of a 1.2-mile swim at Chasewater, a 56-mile cycle across Cannock Chase, Lichfield, East Staffordshire and Stafford and a 13.1-mile run which will finish at Shugborough.

The county, which will hold the competition for three years, is expected to play host to around 2,700 competitors, not counting the friends and family expected to cheer them on from the roadside.

Altogether it is estimated the event will generate a total spend of some £2.7 million, including meals, accommodation and the use of local suppliers.

Fitness addict Ramsay booked his place early on and is clearly taking the contest very seriously. He and members of his team were spotted in the county last weekend checking out the main venues and routes.

He is an amateur but serious athlete, having raced in 15 marathons, three ultra-marathons, three half-Ironmans (a triathlon ending in a half-marathon) and the world's toughest Ironman competition in Hawaii.

As part of his training, Ramsay enjoys running along the Thames at dawn. He never listens to music as he runs, finding it 'irritating', instead lapping up the peace of London at sunrise.

He claims not to be the most graceful runner of runners. "I don't run like a gazelle. It's impossible. I've got size 15 feet. It's a big advantage swimming. But when it comes to running, my feet are monstrous."

While the main joy of cycling appears to be the opportunity to sample village tea rooms.

With both Gordon and his wife Tana taking part in the Staffordshire event, the Ramsay house in south London has been buzzing for months. He said in an interview in October: "There's a countdown in our house. Every day, Jack is like, 'Dad, it's 222 days until Mum kicks your a---'. The kids have got their bets laid out. It's insane. I'm the fittest I've ever been. I've got to go to Staffordshire thinking I'm going to f------ win, even though I know I'm going to get my a--- kicked."

For this weekend's race, he asked for 100 members of the public to compete with him as part of his GR100 team. For the privilege they paid a fee and received training days and kit. The money they raise will go to charities, including Cancer Research and the Scottish Spina Bifida Association.

The Spaniard has not only accumulated one of the best records ever achieved in triathlon history but also proved that he is one of the world's most versatile triathletes, holding championship titles across Olympic and middle distance triathlons.

Organisers were delighted when he announced he would be taking part in Staffordshire's inaugural race, which will form part of his preparation for next year's Olympics in Brazil.

Confirming his entry, Gomez said: "I'm excited to be racing at Staffordshire and am very much hoping to follow on from my success at the 70.3 World Championship.

"I enjoy non-drafting races so am really looking forward to racing a 70.3 distance. Obviously a victory would be fantastic but my preparation is not specifically for winning this race.

"It'll be great to be part of this new event – it also has the added appeal of the weather not being too hot."

He will join a 30-strong professional field, including Australian's Joe Gambles who will be returning to his birth place of Staffordshire, Marko Albert from Estonia and 2014 70.3 UK champion Will Clarke, who will be competing for the £25,000 prize fund, which is the largest ever prize purse for a 70.3 in the UK.

Kevin Stewart, managing director of Ironman UK & Ireland said: "Javier brings with him an incredible track record and extremely high level of racing that promises a very exciting pro race and quick times on this fast course. This is an amazing opportunity for spectators to come and see such a world class triathlete in action."

People can watch from one of the organised spectator hotspots – Shugborough, Chasewater Country Park or land near Cannock Chase Visitor Centre.

At Shugborough visitors will be able to see the changeover from bikes to running, experience the expo, part of the run and the finish line.

At Chasewater they can see the first event – the swim – and at Cannock Chase Visitor's Centre the final section of the bike course.

An impressive 14 per cent of entrants to the Staffordshire race are local, with more than 40 countries represented from novices to professionals - many embarking on the challenge of a lifetime.

Among them will be car salesman Stuart Whittaker, aged 47, and his wife Carol, 54, a medical secretary at Dudley's Russells Hall Hospital, tackling the course in memory of family members who have been affected by cancer.

The couple, from Sedgley, hope to raise £800 for research into Leukaemia.

Members of the Stafford Tri Club are also amongst those taking part.

The organisers, Events Crew UK, moved on to the sites proper on Monday but were travelling the routes last week putting up signs to warn motorists of a complex list of road closures being put in place to accommodate the athletes.

Drivers are warned of delays, particularly around Cannock Chase, Shugborough, Burntwood and north of Brownhills. The busies routes affected are expected to be the A513 between Shugborough and Rugeley and the A5 in the Burntwood and Brownhills area.

Access into Great Haywood and Little Haywood will be restricted as the route travels through both villages, expected to cause delays to traffic travelling along the adjacent A51.

Managing director Kevin Stewart said: "The idea of putting the signage up so early is to avoid problems on the roads. Hopefully people will plan ahead if they want to travel through the area this weekend."

A 40-strong crew have been setting up at Shugborough and Chasewater every day this week, with the numbers doubling to 80 today(FRI) as preparations step up a gear.

An array of marquees - dedicated to registration, race briefings, transition points, storage, post-race recovery and other race elements - have gone up around the grounds. At least two tents will accommodate Gordon Ramsay's team. The grandstands at both sites will go up tomorrow(SAT).

A 35-metre pontoon has been built at Chasewater so that athletes will be able to dive into deeper water from the off, instead of wading in from the edge.

Around 30-40 pro-athletes will launch the race there at 7am on Sunday with the rest of the field following in groups of 300 at 10-minute intervals until 8.30am.

The swim has to be completed within one hour and 10 minutes, with the combined swim and bike sections having a cut-off deadline of five hours 30 minutes. All sections must be completed in eight hours 30 minutes.

A huge spectator area will be buzzing in Cannock Chase on race day from 8.30am to 1.30pm at the visitor centre in Brindley Heath Road for the bike course.

A one-kilometre triangle area will be available for spectators.

Parking is available in Brindley Heath Road which should be approached from the south via Rugeley Road.

At Chasewater, spectators will be able to watch the swim between 7am and 8.30am with the final athletes due to leave the water by 9.40am. However, people are warned that Chasewater site is completely locked down to traffic.

The bike course will be held from 9.15am to 1.45pm at Wolseley Bridge on the A513 and A51 roundabout.

Residents of Kings Bromley, Yoxall and Newborough are well placed to see athletes coming through on the bike course between 8-11am.

Athletes will run down Main Road in Great Haywood from Trent Lane to Meadow Lane three times during the day.

There is a bus park and ride system in operation on race day.

Buses will be available in three phases – from Shugborough to Chasewater from 4.30am to 6.55am, then back again from 8am to 10am; then from Shugborough to Cannock Chase to Shugborough from 8.40am to 1.30pm. The finish line is at Shugborough, with parking tickets available to purchase.

More than 500 people, most of them from around Staffordshire, responded to an appeal for volunteers to help out over the weekend. On Thursday 25 volunteers started their stint early as athletes began arriving to register for the race and pick up their numbers and kit. Registration continues until 1pm today.

Participants have also been dropping off their bikes and running gear at the transition points at Shugborough and Chasewater ahead of the event.

Among other duties, volunteers will also be helping to marshal on the courses, checking people in and out of the transition areas, guiding athletes to the swim start, giving out drinks at tables along the courses and handing out medals at the end of the event.

Waveney Thomson, for the organisers, said: "We've had a fantastic response, with so many local people offering to help. Naturally we prefer this because they know the area best.

"At other similar events, volunteers have been so inspired by the athletes that they've trained to take part in the event in subsequent years. In Wales, we've almost had problems filling the volunteer slots because we've lost so many volunteers to the race itself. It's a lovely cross-over and part of the journey of being a volunteer."

The organisers also called for volunteers to entertain the athletes along the route.

Kevin Stewart said: "There's been a good response to that, too, with people offering to provide music along the way for both spectators and the athletes. Pubs and businesses in Great Hayward have been particularly good about coming forward.

"Entertainment is important for general atmosphere but it also gives the athletes a boost when they're flagging."

The Georgian Mansion House at Shugborough will be closed to visitors on Sunday although the servants' quarters and farm will remain open.

Mark Winnington, Staffordshire County Council's cabinet member for economy, said of the race, which will be televised: "The event is a huge opportunity to showcase the county."

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