TENERIFE, Spain — A British DJ along with his toddler son is on a journey to take on the Ironman challenge to raise money for charity.
Ben Simington, the DJ, overcame drug and alcohol addiction to take part in the event. Simington embarked on a grueling mission to complete a triathlon, cycle up to Mount Teide and back down (a 2,500-metre ascent over 100 kilometers), half an Ironman and a full Ironman, all in four months with his 19-month-old son Kingsley.
“My dream was to work as a DJ, I got some great opportunities and played all over the world for some of the best nightclubs and festivals around,” Simington said.
“As many people do in this industry, I started to develop a serious drug and alcohol dependency and before I knew it, it had spiraled out of control. One night, I realized enough was enough, and I was going to lose everything I had worked for, my family and my career,” he said.
He lives on the Spanish island of Tenerife in the southern region of the Canary Islands off the western coast of Africa, where he works as a resident DJ for the popular Papagayo beach club.
An Ironman Triathlon is considered one of the most difficult one-day sporting events in the world and consists of a 2.4-mile (3.86-kilometer) swim, a 112-mile (180.25-kilometre) bicycle ride, and a 26.22-mile (42.20-kilometer) run in that order.
“I started surfing again, doing CrossFit, running and biking. I have been on my recovery journey since last February and my life has changed completely,” Simington said, adding that nature came to his rescue during the difficult time.
The idea to take his son along came from watching a documentary of a father and son doing an Ironman challenge together, and he decided to take it even further and do four challenges, as per Simington.
The determined British resident uses specially made buggies to run and bike with his toddler and pulls Kingsley behind him in a kayak with his partner during the sea swim.
Simington has already completed the Triathlon and a grueling cycle up to the base of Mount Teide and back, the highest peak in Spain at 3,715 meters.
The half Ironman is set for Feb 27 and his last and biggest challenge, the full Ironman, will take place on March 27.
Simington has set up the crowdfunding page to raise money for three charities, Helping Hands for disadvantaged and disabled children, the Feel Good mental health organization, and the Addenbrooks Trauma Ward in Cambridge which treated his father after a serious accident.
“I would tell anybody who is feeling bad to just get out there in nature and do something, take your kids, your family members, or go on your own, but just never give up. If I can do it, so can you,” Simington said.
(Edited by Praveen Pramod Tewari and Vaibhav Vishwanath Pawar)
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