TEAM Deane triathlon stars Russ Brooks and Louise Leatherbarrow did not take part in the high-profile event held in Bolton earlier this month, instead taking on an arguably more glamorous – yet more gruelling – event in the south of France.

Grandfather Russ, known as ‘Uncle Russ’ to club-mates, recently braved dreadful weather conditions to complete his ninth tri event, the White Bear Ironman in Ballygally, Ireland.

This involved a swim in the sea, a lengthy cycle along the coast and a run with plenty of hill climbing.

He and partner Louise then headed for the foot of the Pyrenees for the Altriman 2017, recognised as one of the toughest events the world has to offer, not least because of the 5am start.

It would be Louise’s third such tri event and the pair completed the course together, both crossing the finish line in 19hrs 10mins.

“It was extremely difficult in the heat and at altitude,” she told The Bolton News. “The bike element having 15,000ft of climbing and some of the mountains taking over an hour-and-a-half to climb on the bike.

“There were some extremely experienced cyclists in the race, but for

us this was the toughest we have ever done.

“The swim started in darkness, which made sighting extremely difficult and slowed us both down, along with the language barrier.

“The scenery in the Pyrenees mountains, and the whole set-up of the event, was absolutely magnificent.

“For anybody who wants a challenge this is definitely one to try.”