James Slowey: ‘Eventually it just becomes the norm to go out and swim 4k before work’

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.

Sat, 18 Jul, 2015 - 01:00

Brendan O’Brien

Q: So, why attempt a race regarded as one of the toughest in the world?

Having gone through triathlons and a few Ironmans you want to do the toughest one out there and this is the toughest. That’s what attracted me to it. It’s hard. Not many people get to do it. It’s hard enough to get into the race. Half of the start list are Norwegians. The other half are spread around from 30 to 40 countries. I think I am the only person from the Republic of Ireland. It’s definitely one of the toughest triathlons out there.

Q: So, it’s that simple? It’s the toughest there is so you want to do it?

I’d like to have a go off it and see what I can do. It’s an iconic race as well. I have never been to Norway before and you are going to the depths of the fjords so I’m looking forward to that.

Q: Where does the impulse for doing these gruelling distances and events come from?

I have always been active. I played with all the local soccer and GAA teams throughout the years. I could go back to 2005 when I started to do a bit of running. I would only be doing a bit on the treadmill and rack up a time and then try and beat it the next week. I was just doing my own thing. When Cork City brought back the marathon in 2007 I entered a leg with a team. There was a buzz about so I ran another leg and then I ran the whole thing the next year. I made all the mistakes first-timers did, I went out a bit hard and all that, but I enjoyed the finish up Patrick Street with the crowds down both sides. Then you think you could do it better. It went from there to my first triathlon the following year.

Q: Were you a good swimmer even then?

I wasn’t a great swimmer, no. I did the first one down in Baltimore over the Olympic distance and I just found the three disciplines that bit more enjoyable than the one. I joined the Blackwater Triathlon Club then in Fermoy and they seemed a friendly bunch so I kept at it. I concentrated on triathlons the year after that.

Q: When did you first think about doing an Ironman?

I was on holidays in Lanzarote and coming down the hill and looking out at the water I could see all this splashing and it was like a break of mackerel out there. When I went down I saw it was an ironman. There was some buzz. You get that bit of a taste for it. I wasn’t that good a swimmer so I went away and got lessons and joined up with a group of lads called the Myrtleville Swimmers and just went out with them on open water. As time goes on your distances go up and eventually it just becomes the norm to go out and swim 4k before work, just like it becomes normal to go out and cycle 180k.

Q: How do people react when you tell them the distances you cover?

You talk to people and I don’t think they grasp how long it actually is. When you say you have done two Ironmans in just over eleven hours, it’s only then when it starts to click into place.

‘How can you keep going that length of time?’ They’ll tell you that they can hardly swim the length of the pool. I tell them that I started out from the exact same place. I couldn’t swim the length of the pool or do 5k.

When you train correctly you can do anything. If you train for a marathon you will run a marathon. If you train for an ultra you will run an ultra. It’s the same with Ironman.

Q: Is it an addiction?

I suppose it’s like anything in that you get the buzz and you want to keep going. You want to test yourself that bit more. What else can I do? I proved I can go for 11-12 hours so what more can I do?

Q: What time do you have in mind with the Norseman?

There’s two separate finishes. There are 160 allowed to the top of the mountain and the other 90 or whatever have to go to a different one because of capacity at the top. Last year they let 163 up and the slowest time of them was just over 16 hours, so my aim is to get under that and be in that top group. The prize difference is you get a black t-shirt at the top and a white one otherwise. I want the black t-shirt.

Q: What has been your toughest event up until now?

The first time I attempted the Dingle Ultra Marathon. I’d never run for that long. I’d only run for 30 miles in training so 50 miles was an eye opener. It ain’t the flattest of country either. I enjoyed the scenery around Dingle and Slea Head though. It was fantastic. I remember running along the Tralee to Dingle Road down by the water’s edge and the next thing you hit the Conor Pass and you are in the clouds you were looking up at a half hour earlier.

Q: Gaustatoppen is almost twice the height of Carrauntoohill apparently, so you won’t be stuck for scenery in Norway.

No. Even looking at the YouTube videos of this race you can see that the scenery is off the wall. It looks fantastic.

So what peaks will be left for you to conquer after this?

I don’t know. I just plan year to year. I could go back racing the local scene. I like the short, fast stuff as well.

That’s a totally different type of training. There is a bike race around Ireland and that would tickle my fancy. It’s a tough race — five and half days non-stop cycling. Maybe the year after. It’s something I’d like to do for charity as well.