The full distance Ironman is a 2.4-mile swim, followed by a 112-mile bike ride and ended with a full 26.2-mile marathon.

As well as becoming his age group champion at the last World Championship in the sport’s spiritual home in Hawaii last month, he also finished 41st overall – beating 12 professional athletes and being in the top five of 2,300 amateurs who had qualified.

“To be doing that at my age is a good testament to my fitness,” he says.

“But I think coming into the sport at a later stage I’m not picking up a lot of the injuries that some people are picking up, especially with their lower limb running injuries.”

But avoiding injuries is just one reason for Brooks’ success.

As a former swimmer and underwater hockey player he has developed good lung capacity which has helped his aerobic fitness. His VO2 max score – a measure of aerobic ability – is between 70 and 75.

That is 20 points more than what would be considered “excellent” for someone of his age.

“I think you have to have a natural talent, which I have, but you also have to be very disciplined with your training, your nutrition, your routine and just consistency of the training,” says Brooks, who juggles 18-20 hours of training a week with working running his own company.

“You have to put a lot of miles in, you go out in a lot of bad weather

“It’s just getting that session done and consistency, and if you can share that with friends and other people it can be very social – coffee rides are always great fun.

“But it’s the hours you put in that pay dividends really.”

So where does the motivation come for a man who seems to have won it all?

“My friend says you’re riding a wave, and you don’t know how long that wave’s going to last, so keep riding it until you fall off,” Brooks says.

“Whilst I’m winning, and whilst I’m enjoying it more so, I’ll keep going and keep trying.

“But when it becomes more of a chore and I’m not enjoying it, then that’ll be the time to stop.”