THE thought of going for a two-and-a-half mile swim, a 112 mile bike ride and running a 26 mile marathon is enough to make anyone exhausted.

But one former Accrington schoolboy has proved his super strength by completing them all in one day.

Robert Wilkinson, 26, took part in Austria's gruelling Iron Man contest and proved he may well be made from girders by completing the exhausting triathlon - his very first - in the simmering heat in just 14 hours.

The event, was televised by satellite sports channel Eurosport.

Robert, who now lives in Oxford where he works as a retail consultant, said: "It's actually the first triathlon I've done. People usually go for a few years of triathlon experience and then build up to the Iron Man but I did it for my first one. The running proved to be the biggest challenge, getting off the bike and then starting a marathon. But the whole thing was probably the most overwhelming experience I have ever had and makes you feel really quite special. The camaraderie and support from the spectators was amazing.

"I went through several pain barriers and after a while just became numb to the pain. You just try and call on your training and what that felt like and it sees you through to the end."

Robert's main discipline is swimming and he came 106th in the swim and 1592nd overall out of 2100 competitors from 47 countries.

The former St Christopher's High School pupil admits that it has taken him two or three weeks to get back to normal but he now plans to enter some smaller triathlons in preparation for Iron Man Austria 2005.

His proud father Peter, 58, a retired accountant from Back Lane, Baxenden, said: "We went over there to support him and the atmosphere from 100,000 spectators was unbelievable."