The day before Great Britain's Jonathan Brownlee took gold in last month's 2012 Triathlon World Championship in Auckland, Middleton Paper's own Daniel Longhurst completed the sprint distance version of the race.
"Brownlee was an inspiration but he also made me realise I need to speed up a bit," said Longhurst, who was sponsored by the Walsall-based paper merchant to fly to New Zealand for the race.
Ahead of the event, competitors from 45 countries paraded through the streets of Auckland behind their national flags. "Representing my country as an athlete was overwhelming," Longhurst added.
Longhurst came a highly respectable 368th out of 1,208 competitors, raising over £200 for Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity in the process.
"My brothers and sisters have young children so I know how important these wards are," he said.
Longhurst is already looking ahead and hoping to race in Hyde Park in 2013. He said: "I don’t think I’ll be jumping in the Serpentine until it has warmed up a bit, though."
