Edgar Ette, along with Steve Haywood, runs Enduroman Ltd, the organiser of ultra endurance triathlons and other extreme events including the Arch to Arch challenge. He tells T-zero what inspired him, and what it takes to become an ultra athlete.
It all started in the mid 1980s, when Edgar was part of the Royal Navy triathlon team. As a self-confessed Mr Average he didn’t make (nor did he have any expectations of making) the squad for a London to Paris relay event. But the event planted a seed in his mind: could he ever complete such a challenge alone?
Edgar is not so interested in winning, but seeks his competitive challenges by attempting things that no one else has ever done. “I’m motivated by my own goals and by things I can do to improve and educate myself,” he says. Arch-to-Arch fitted the bill.
He was always pretty confident he could run the 84 miles from London to the Dover and cycle 184 miles from Calais to Paris. But what about the bit in the middle?
“I’m a skinny guy so cold water is a real challenge for me. I basically trained for five years before attempting the crossing.”
Edgar eventually succeeded and claimed his place in the Guinness Book of Records, then decided he wanted to put something back and help other people achieve their aims.
“Enduroman Arch-to-Arch is all about supporting other athletes complete this amazing challenge. Basically, we guide people through the entire process, from preparation and training, to providing support through the event. We take one or two athletes per month through the summer, and we’re booked up for two years.”
As well as the Arch-to-Arch challenge, Enduroman organises a range of other solo and competitive events including double and triple ironman races, a solo deca ironman event and the 10 mile Jurassic swim. Entries are currently open for the double ironman in Lanzarote in February 2011.
But is there much demand for such events?
“It’s definitely still niche – we typically have 100-200 entrants – but interest is growing. You find people that have done six or seven Ironman races and they’re looking for the next challenge.”
Is there any particular profile or characteristics of ultra-triathletes?
“Not really,” says Edgar. “In some ways it’s like the early days of triathlon and we’re still on the learning curve of what it takes to be a good ultra-triathlete.”
There are some common characteristics however. For example, Ette believes having previously completed an Ironman distance race is a prerequisite for attempting a double. You also need to a strong background in endurance training. This is especially true for events with long distance swims such as the Arch-to-Arch. It simply takes time to build the muscular endurance to keep swimming for hour upon hour.
Mental strength is also vital. “In these long distance challenges, you will always hit bad patches and you have to know how to deal with them, and that’s about experience. Then you have amazing good patches. The longer the event the bigger the contrast between bad and good patches is magnified, the good becomes so good it’s truly inspirational.”
Edgar Ette talked to Simon Griffiths
Double Ironman Lanzarote
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