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Olympic gold medallist and three-time winner of the Ironman Triathlon World Championship, Jan Frodeno, has found an imaginative and creative way of supporting Spanish healthcare workers and combatting Covid-19 in these critical and dangerous times.
READ | Johannesburger completes home Ironman while in lockdown
Laureus Ambassador Frodeno was planning to compete in the Roth Ironman competition in Bavaria, but it has been called off because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Now Frodeno is in lockdown in his home in Girona in Spain, but he won’t be beaten.
On Saturday, 11 April, starting at 08:00 SA time, Frodeno will be doing an Ironman - AT HOME!
That’s 3.86km in his swimming pool, 180.25km cycling on his roller trainer, and running a 42.2km marathon on his treadmill.
Frodeno, 38, is aiming to raise money for the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation to create a project in his hometown in Germany, as well as the health care clinics battling the coronavirus in Girona.
He said: “I’m always training for an Ironman taking place somewhere, but since there won’t be any taking place in the foreseeable future, I’m now organising one for myself at home. It became clear that the situation in Spain was really getting serious. So I just want to attract attention in order to raise money. I want to use this event to support those who are currently doing the competition in the hospitals day in and day out.
“I had to get the OK from my wife, since she has to take care of our two kids all day long, but she loves doing that. Sure, my family will be checking in on me from time to time, but the children won’t find any of this particularly exciting.
“The lockdown is something that affects everyone, not just me as an athlete. I live in Spain, and we’ve been subject to lockdown for three weeks. I’m not allowed to leave the house, which prevents me from jogging, riding my bike or even taking a walk. The only thing I’m allowed to do is take the dog for a walk around the block or go shopping when absolutely necessary.
“There is strict monitoring of compliance with these rules, but rightly so. The situation here is really dire. That’s why I’ve been training at home for three weeks now. However, when I see what the people here in the hospitals are doing for us, this small sacrifice is one I wholeheartedly make.”
Spain has been particularly hard hit by the coronavirus with 153 222 confirmed cases as on Friday morning (second most in the world) and 15 447 fatalities (third most).
For more information on how to follow him in action, check out Jan Frodeno's Facebook page.
