MAYORAL duties often mean going the extra mile, but for Thornbury’s mayor, it is taking on a whole new meaning as she prepares to race an Ironman triathlon next week.

Cllr Helen Harrison will head to Vichy, France next Sunday for the gruelling endurance event, being joined by 1,000 others from around the world.

The race will see the 51-year-old swim 2.4 miles and cycle 112 miles before completing a full marathon 26.2-mile run.

Having completed a number of medium and Olympic distance triathlons in the past, as well as an Ironman-distance event five years ago, she is no stranger to the demands of endurance sport.

Over the past 28 weeks, she has covered around 3,500 miles on the bike, road and in the water, as well as plenty of time in the gym to get herself ready.

“Training has been going ok,” she said. “It has taken up a lot of time which has been tough to fit in around my mayoral duties. There have been lots of early mornings!

“It has all gone rather well though, I haven’t picked up any major injuries and my focus now is just to stay injury free and enjoy race day.

“At the end of the day, I know what I am capable of and have no intention of ‘racing’. My aim is just to complete it.

“I am looking forward to the cycling stage the most as, despite it being a long way, it is a chance to see the incredible countryside and absorb the support from the crowd.

“The run will be a whole different matter, however. I will have done a lot of work by that point and it will feel like a very long way to the finish.”

As well as completing the Ironman for the achievement, Cllr Harrison is fundraising for Suprgeons Academy, a school that educates more than 400 children in Kibera, Kenya, the largest slum in West Africa.

Having been told that part of the school’s land had been taken over by the local authority for the re-development of railway lines, and the school’s kitchen demolished, she decided to help the fundraising cause to build them a new one.

“The academy really reaches out to the poorest of the poor, offering education, meals and care for the pupils,” she said.

“I have been out to visit the school before, and knowing this has happened has made me want to help in whatever way I can, so I hope people will be able to support me with a donation.”

To sponsor Cllr Harrison, visit www.totalgiving.co.uk/mypage/helenharrison