Mikhail, who lives in London, was originally signed up for the Ironman Israel, which was cancelled due to the current situation in the Middle East. Undeterred, and after months of gruelling training which he didn’t want to go to waste, Mikhail decided to create his own Ironman challenge in our Capital City, London.

Mikhail said:

“I only started swimming and cycling at a competitive level in May this year, until then, I’d never even ridden a road bike or done any endurance swimming. The training was full-on, but I was committed and really enjoyed it.

I swam 3.8km at the London Aquatics Centre at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, cycled 42 laps of Regent’s Park which equated to 180km, and ran a marathon across London, completing my challenge at the iconic Big Ben in Westminster.

Doing a challenge as a solo participant was mentally challenging at times, but I had three friends who joined me for each leg which really helped to keep me going! Lots of friends came to cheer me along at different points on the route and to greet me at the end which was amazing.

I’d wanted to do an Ironman for a while, and Momentum is a charity which aligns itself with many of my personal values, so raising money to help their cause meant a lot. The Ironman has been one of the most rewarding things I have ever done and I really hope humankind will always be there to help families facing very difficult situations.”

Mikhail has raised more than £1200 for Momentum with donations still coming in. You can sponsor Mikhail here: Mikhail Neganov is fundraising for Momentum (justgiving.com)