Barber takes on Andorra Ironman triathlon for St Leonard's Hospice

The Andorra Ironman 70.3 involves a 1.2 mile swim, a 56 mile bike ride, and a 13.1 mile run in the mountains. The bike course has an elevation of 4,000ft, while the running route's elevation is 1,000ft.

Dan in Andorra last summer (Image: Dan Hardisty)

The high altitude and challenging terrain make the race one of the toughest half-Ironman events in the world.

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Freelance barber Dan Hardisty, 24, is taking part in the challenge on Sunday, July 2 with the aim of raising £2,500 for St Leonard’s Hospice.

His gran, Eileen, who passed away in 2016, had received end of life care from the hospice after first being admitted into its care in 2013.

Dan's Gran, Eileen (Image: Dan Hardisty)

Dan said: “She was a good lady, and everyone in my family still thinks about her a lot. She was around for my whole childhood.

“I wanted to raise money for a local charity and the hospice took good care of her.

“They’re great for all the incredible work they do, and I wanted to do something to give back to them and help them to continue providing care and support to patients and their families.”

Dan's Gran, Eileen (Image: Dan Hardisty)

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Dan was looking for a challenge to take part in and then saw the triathlon when holidaying in Andorra last summer.

He said: “I wanted to set a good goal for myself, something more interesting than just a marathon.”

Dan with his customers who took part in the 5k (Image: Dan Hardisty)

He has been training for the event for the past six months, which has included cycling from York to the coast, and up the hilly cycle routes in Leavening and Leppington in Malton, and running around York every day.

He has also organised fundraising events, such as a 5k run at the Racecourse in January with his customers, to help drive donations.

He said: “I’m excited for the triathlon as it’s my first one and I'm looking forward to pushing my limits.

“Andorra is beautiful and has mountains everywhere. It’s cheap, the people are really nice and they have good parties. I’ve also enjoyed skiing there in the winter.”

To donate to Dan's Just Giving page to support St Leonard's Hospice, click here.