Government inaction over a crumbling weir has led to the cancellation of one of the country's best-known rowing regattas and also a popular swimming race.

James Slowey struggled to swim a length of a pool or run 5km a decade ago. On August 1, he will compete in the iconic Norseman Xtreme Triathlon which involves a 3.8km swim, a 180km cycle, a run of 42.2km and finishes with an ascent up the 1,8880m Gaustatoppe mountain.