A COURAGEOUS Harpenden man has completed a gruelling triathlon less than 18 months after a near-fatal skiing accident in the Swiss Alps.

  George Watkins, 24, plummeted 150 metres down a cliff face in March 2009 while on a working gap year with his friends and subsequently spent three months in a wheelchair as he recovered from a broken back, five cracked ribs and a broken shoulder.

But George, a former St George's School pupil, was determined to show he had made a full recovery as he completed the Ironman UK challenge in 14 hours and 47 minutes.

  He said: "I'm just glad I made it to the finish. For a long time it had been in my head to do a triathlon and I had always thought I couldn't do it.

  "After my accident, I needed a way to prove that I was back to full fitness and Ironman fitted the bill. It was my first triathlon but it won't be my last".

  The 24-year-old finished the triathlon, held in Bolton, despite persistent problems during the cycle ride, during which he suffered six flat tyres.

  A fellow competitor stopped to provide assistance but only succeeded in bursting the inner tube. George's remaining spare only lasted a mile-and-a-half before it suffered a long gash that needed three patches to mend the hole.

He added: "The cycle was the hardest part. I'd never done the distance before, only half in practice with lots of stops. I felt myself getting tired when I got my first puncture. It was mentally tough, all the punctures and the worry that I wasn't going to make it.

  "During the run my legs felt fresh and strong. But I had problems with my stomach from eating energy bars all day and that held me back."

  Throughout the testing challenge, George feared he would fail to cross the finish line due to strict checkpoints - which competitors have to make to continue to the next leg.

  He said: "The last bit of the bike ride I had to go quite fast because I was worried about making the cut off time. To not make it to the finish would have been galling."

Prior to the event, George, who graduated from Imperial College London two years ago, trained a significant amount prepare for the competition.

He said: "I've gradually been getting back into exercise since my accident 17 months ago. Other people would have done a year's worth of preparation for the challenge so from that point of view, I came from a standing start."

George, who had been working part time at Spire Hospital, Harpenden, where he was treated after his accident, admitted he had found it difficult to adjust to dealing with his injuries.

 He said: "I played rugby twice a week at uni, that was my release.After the accident, I had all this frustration about what had happened but had to live with it rather than get rid of it".

  "Having Ironman as my goal has been more valuable to me than I could ever put my finger on. Physically it brought me a level of fitness that was better than before the accident but mentally, it's given me a focus and something I could channel my energy towards."

  The Ironman challenge, which has 28 events around the world, is known to be one of most recognised endurance events in the world. George is due to appear on an Ironman documentary on Channel 4, where he will discuss his recovery and preparation for the event.

  He added: "They were very interested in my story. They like featuring inspirational stories and when they heard, they were keen to interview me. I spoke to them before the race about my expectations and then they caught me before the cycle ride and at various points during my run.

  "It's going to be a bit embarrassing when they show the programme as I get a bit emotional at the end of the race. It was a way of drawing a line under everything and proving that the accident is not part of my life any more."