A BROTHER and sister team from Thornbury have conquered one of the toughest events in sport after completing their first Iron Man triathlon.

Dylan and Taryn Roberts had only eight months to prepare for the 140-mile behemoth in Bolton on July 17, which consisted of a two-and-a-half mile open water swim and a gruelling 112-miles of cycling, before closing with a full 26.2 mile marathon.

But as Dylan said: “every moment was worth it for the feeling of crossing that finish line.”

Through racing the event, the pair have also raised over £2,400 for the Motor Neurone Disease Association, a charity they chose in memory of their grandmother who passed away from the disease around four years ago.

Talking about nerves on the start line, 25-year-old Taryn, a fitness instructor at Thornbury Leisure Centre, said: “I was so overwhelmed, there were so many people around us.

“It was the very moment we had trained for, that scary moment like you are going off the end of a rollercoaster.”

But while the pair started together, they were separated almost instantly in the rush to get started.

The 27-year-old motorcycle helmet designer said: “Everyone was rushing into the water and as we were all wearing the same thing, I had to just get going and hope I would find her again later on the course.

“The swim was alright because it was mostly just using the arms so I knew my legs would be strong enough to make it through the bike ride and the run.”

Taryn added: “Then there were so many spectators on the bike ride. It was an incredible boost with everyone cheering you on and patting you on the back as you went past. It felt like being a rider on the Tour de France.”

It wasn’t until the end of the bike ride that the siblings would be briefly reunited, when Dylan saw Taryn again as he set out for the run.

He said: “It was so good to see she had got that far and was still smiling, it meant I could put any worry about her to the back of my mind and set out on the run.

“The only problem was I probably set off too fast because I hit the wall in the first five miles.”

Taryn however said that she had kept a lot in the tank for the run, knowing it was a distance she had yet to cover.

She said: “I hit the wall after seven miles, but recovered soon afterwards. There wasn’t a second throughout the race where I felt I wouldn’t be able to finish so I just powered through.

“Coming towards the end of the run, with only a couple of miles to go, I felt amazing all of a sudden and was really able to close the gap on Dylan.”

Despite the incredible distance, and over 2,000 fellow competitors, the two finished only minutes apart, with Dylan completing the course in 11h 57m, and Taryn only seven minutes behind, placing an incredible ninth in her age category.

With such a short window between the pair, Taryn was actually greeted by her brother who waited for her to finish with a big hug, before they went to celebrate with their parents, other halves Molly and Bruce, and most importantly, Taryn’s dog Macie.

Dylan said: “It was easily the toughest thing either of us has ever done, both mentally and physically, but crossing the line was worth every one of the hundreds of hours of training - not just to say we had done it, but because it clearly meant so much to all the people who had supported us.”

Taryn added: “We had so many messages urging us on the night before, so to deliver for them was special.

“It was amazing to cross the finish line. I am not one to blub but it really hit me what I had achieved when I finished and couldn’t hold it back.

“There were some aches the day after but we are fine now, and both want to race it again next year!”