Pushing the Limits: Peter Wright on the Island Man x7 Challenge
Local adventurer Peter Wright is preparing for the ultimate test of endurance, seven full Ironman triathlons in seven consecutive days.
From Friday 3rd to Thursday 9th October, the ‘Island Man x 7 Challenge’ will see him swim, cycle and run over 140 miles a day across Jersey, raising vital funds for four local charities.
At Rossborough, we’re proud to play a small part in supporting Peter as he takes on this extraordinary feat of resilience, community spirit and determination.
What inspired you to take on the Island Man x 7 Challenge?
I had long harboured an ambition to do an Iron Man, and in 2021 had been actively following the exploits of James Lawrence (aka ‘The Iron Cowboy’) as he completed 100 Iron Mans in 100 days. Inspired by this, I decided I wanted to take on a more diluted version.
I had intended to tackle this ‘7 in 7’ challenge back in 2022, but my good friend, Steve Hayes, put a tempting proposition in front of me, which was to row the Atlantic Ocean with him. So, roll forward to 2025 and here we are.
Can you walk us through a typical day of the challenge?
The alarm clock will be set for 4:30 am, and I plan to start my 2.4 mile swim at the Aquasplash at 6 am. I anticipate starting my 112-mile bike ride between 7:30 and 7:45 and after that I’ll need to run a marathon. These will consist of out and back repeats between La Fregate Café and St Aubin’s. The latter part may be repetitive, but I am hoping to entice people to run 5k or 10k stretches with me.
Having never completed an Iron Man, and factoring in the combined length of the challenge, I expect to be finishing each day between 8 pm and 9 pm. It will then be a case of sorting myself out and going again the next day. Funnily enough, Groundhog Day is my favourite film.
How have you been preparing for this feat?
I’ve been following a bespoke training plan prepared by my Iron Man coach, Chris Stephens, since February. This has been complemented by regular strength and conditioning sessions with my personal trainer, Andy Glover. I’ve also had regular check ins with Kyle Dougherty from the Jersey Sports and Spinal Clinic, attended weekly Pilates classes (again courtesy of JSSC) and received a monthly sports massage courtesy of Sam Matthews at Well Kneaded.
Nutrition has been very important throughout, and I’ve been able to rely on previous expertise and great advice provided from Kit and Paul at True Food, Specialists in sports nutrition.
Who has been supporting you in training and logistics?
Chris Stephens, Andy Glover, Kyle Dougherty and Sam Matthews as mentioned earlier. They have been amazing, and I feel as fit as I ever have done.
Rachel, my wife, has been my rock as ever. A constant source of strength and support when the volume of training, combined with a full-time job, has taken its toll. She was going to teach me to tumble turn, but I think I’ve run out of time.
I’ve also received amazing support within the community, and have been sponsored by Prosperity 24/7 (my employers), Rossborough Insurance, KPMG and Boston Family Office.
The Raddison Blu at the Waterfront have kindly allowed me to stay at the hotel for the week of the challenge, which will allow me to be as rested as I can.
The Aquasplash have been very supportive, and will be ensuring I have the necessary access to the pool during the week of the challenge as well as a dedicated lane.
Big Maggys and The Cycle Centre have been instrumental in everything bike-related. Special mention to Richard Tanguy at Big Maggys who has supported me over the years and actually lent me the bike to do this challenge 4 years ago.
What do you anticipate will be the biggest physical and mental challenges?
Physically, I am trying to imagine a single part of my body that won’t be hurting once I am settled into the challenge. Most of all, I anticipate over 50 hours on the bike saddle has the potential to cause me a spot of bother, so I’ll need to be on top of my admin in this respect.
Mentally, I will need to avoid thinking too far ahead, since the combined distance of nearly 1,000 miles is rather long, so I’ll need to break down the challenge accordingly. Based on experience of multi-day events or very long single stage events (100 miles plus), I find that breaking everything down and setting mini-targets really helps.
How important is fundraising to you, and why did you choose these four local charities?
There are so many worthy charities to support on our Island, and I’ve supported many close to my heart over the years.
For this challenge, I especially wanted to support charities whose purpose was in respect of the physical and mental welfare of children and young people, and I have chosen four that do just that.
The four charities are as follows:
CLIC Sargent (Jersey) support young people with cancer. I was inspired by Antonia Rubio, who is now an Ambassador of that charity, and an amazing young lady.
Kezia’s Fund supports mental health among children and young people, and this support is invaluable given the world we live in today.
The LouLou Race Foundation supports underfunded young people in their sporting aspirations, and was established in memory of an inspirational woman (for so many reasons), Louise Bracken-Smith.
Lily’s fund was established to support Lily McGarry as she faces the life altering effects after sepsis.
How does completing this challenge in Jersey make it special?
Jersey is home, so to be able to complete each day of the challenge surrounded by friends and supporters would be incredible. I think the sporting community is wonderful here. I’ve been part of the running community for a number of years, but this year saw me jump on the bike for the first time. I have been quite taken aback by the camaraderie and goodwill on the roads from other cyclists.
The icing on the cake will be that my family will be there at the finishing line, with the exception to my 18-year old son, Josh, who has recently joined the army. I may even be able to get a few running miles in with my mad Springer Spaniel, Maui, during the challenge
What motivates you during tough moments on the challenge?
From experience with other challenges I’ve always adopted a few coping mechanisms to get the job done, and I’m sure I’ll be doing the same on this one. Positive visualisation is one where I’ll imagine myself achieving my race goal and the associated feeling as opposed to chastising myself post-race after a DNF and perhaps thinking I could have dug in a bit more.
Conversations help also. These can be via messages received from family and friends, as well as meeting people during the race. On many occasions I’ve been in a dark place, and have simply got talking to the person next to be and then found myself lost in conversation with them as the miles tick by. This always helps.
Finally, it will be the ‘Why’. I’ll always come back to why I’m doing it, remind myself it was my own silly choice and it is a hobby. This lightens the mood, and puts a stop to any violin moments. I also draw inspiration from my nominated charities and what the individuals connected to the charities are going through, which certainly puts any discomfort I am going through into perspective.
What message or inspiration do you hope people take from your challenge?
In relation to endurance challenges, I ultimately decided, at a later stage in my life, that I didn’t want life to pass me by and have regret for not trying things whilst I could. It took a few events to learn a few lessons and build my confidence, but the rewards have been plentiful in terms of experiences and the many people I have met along the way. I’ve had my share of DNFs, but I don’t see that as an issue. I’d rather be on the start line and give it my best shot. Besides, DNF’s are expunged (my rule) when you return and complete the challenge, and I’ve always returned to successfully complete a challenge.
I think the message I’d like people to take is to follow your dreams and passions, whatever they are, and embrace the natural fear of making those first steps. I think we all have that nervous apprehensive feeling when we face up to doing something that is out of our comfort zone. However, the feeling once we’ve seen the task through is the ultimate buzz and quite simply makes you feel alive.
If you’d like to support Peter, you can do so by making a donation through his fundraising page: SportsGiving - Activity: Pete (and by heading down to the bay to show your support in person!)