A Richmond man who lost his father to dementia has completed a gruelling triathlon.
Danny Shoulder and two friends Phil Cope and Gareth Davies took part in the Cleveland Steelman Triathalon which consists of a 1.1-mile swim in open water, a 58-mile cycle and then a half marathon.
Danny was raising money and awareness following the death of his dad, Ken Noble, in December.
Mr Noble died after suffering from Lewy bodies dementia which he had for ten years.
The 38-year-old father of two, who is a self-employed plumbing and heating engineer, said he wanted to do something outside his comfort zone.
He completed the course in five hours 43 minutes , finishing in 81st place out of 295.
Danny said he had not yet got the final total raised but said it was £3,000.
He only started training in January.
Before the event Danny told Richmondshire Today: “Before I started training I couldn’t swim more than 25 metres front crawl and have never been on a road bike so training has been gruelling but with Phil’s triathlon experience and Gareth’s sheer fitness regimes I have been in good hands.
“My sporting background is football basically so I did have a base although age isn’t on my side.
“Training hard six days a week, long rides, long runs and frequent lake swims has been life changing – I’ve never felt so fit and the feel good factor is through the roof.”
Danny said he was inspired by the incredible courage his father showed throughout his illness, right to the very end.
He added: “My father was a very strong, independent man.
“This illness not only made him lose his memories but made him incredibly weak too, which was very upsetting for those who knew and loved him.
“He fought bravely for 10 long years in the face of a very cruel illness.”
