\n<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
“To be doing that at my age is a good testament to my fitness,” he says.<\/p>\n
“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.”<\/p>\n
But avoiding injuries is just one reason for Brooks’ success.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
That is 20 points more than what would be considered “excellent” for someone of his age. <\/p>\n
“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. <\/p>\n
“You have to put a lot of miles in, you go out in a lot of bad weather<\/p>\n
“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.<\/p>\n
“But it’s the hours you put in that pay dividends really.”<\/p>\n
So where does the motivation come for a man who seems to have won it all? <\/p>\n
“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.<\/p>\n
“Whilst I’m winning, and whilst I’m enjoying it more so, I’ll keep going and keep trying.<\/p>\n
“But when it becomes more of a chore and I’m not enjoying it, then that’ll be the time to stop.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n