Alex Minor has stated that he took on the double Ironman challenge to raise both funds and awareness for mental health.
“I just wanted to challenge myself and showcase it can be done,” said Minor. His race is raising funds for Movember, a men’s mental health charity, and there will be a documentary following his journey. He added, “I’m really interested in […] the mental journey that a man has to go through.”
Minor commented on the current state of mental health. He highlighted its growing importance and the need for greater awareness. “Lots of men struggle with it and nobody talks about it […] This is just showcasing that a little bit more.”
Minor outlined the starting and finishing points of the event, providing a clear overview of the route he completed. His race was “a double Ironman-distance triathlon throughout all of Manitoba, trying to showcase the beauty of Manitoba and some of the landmarks and highlights in Manitoba and the city of Winnipeg.”
He continued, “First, it was a 7.6 km swim. It started in Lake Winnipeg. So, that was hard.” Next, he biked for 360 kilometers, passing through Selkirk, Beausejour and Steinbach. The bike portion ended with laps on the Trans-
Canada Highway. Afterwards, Minor ran around Winnipeg for 84.4 kilometers.
He broke down the time it took to complete the double Ironman. “It took me 36 hours and 47 minutes. It was a nonstop event […] The swim took me 3 hours and 17 minutes, and then, we went right into the bike, which took me 17 hours and 36 minutes. And then, the run took me […] 13 hours and 42 minutes […] And the other time I counted for in the 36 hours and 47 minutes was just the transition between the swim to the bike and then the bike to the run. So, yes, it took a long time. Not fast, but got it done.”
He recounted his experience participating in the double Ironman triathlon, reflecting on the physical challenges he faced throughout the event. “It was frustrating at times. It started with the swim. — in other triathlons and Ironman events, you’re in there with hundreds of people in the water, so it’s pretty chaotic. In this swim, it was in Lake Winnipeg in the morning. Nobody was there. It was pretty peaceful, actually. So, I really enjoyed that. I had a lot of time to think. So, that was nice. But then the bike was frustrating because we were into a headwind for the first nine hours, and it was just frustrating going so slow.”
Despite the challenges, Minor stated that he has no plans of slowing down, revealing he wants to embark on a 100-mile race and climb Mount Everest in the future. “I want to do more of these [challenges]. I don’t know if I’ll do a double Ironman again. People think I’m crazy. I want to do more. I want to do maybe a triple, maybe a quadruple Ironman, see what I can’t do. But what next I want to do is a 100-mile race, which is very popular, [and] one day I do want to climb Everest […] I’m just looking to challenge myself in any way possible.”
Alex Minor’s Movember donation page can be found online at ca.movember.com/mospace/15362751.
