PERSONAL trainer Matthew Morris more than practises what he preaches.

Alongside working for Halo Leisure at Hereford Leisure Centre, the 31-year-old has spent the last three years competing in all Ironman events across the UK.

And he brought his sporting challenge to a close earlier this month when he competed in Bolton, achieving his personal best of just over 12 hours.

Ironman events involve a demanding 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike race and 26.2-mile marathon run, so it was an ideal opportunity for him to see how far he could push himself.

After returning in 2004 from a football scholarship in the United States, Morris played for Newport County but sustained a six-week calf injury.

After his recovery, he started playing for Westfields but had to cease training to commit his time to the fitness industry.

After taking part in the 2010 London Marathon, he was curious about the triathlon and brought all his interests together, combining a passion for cycling with running and swimming.

Despite a job in fitness, training didn’t come easy and more time was dedicated to swimming since he hadn’t taken to the water for a while.

He described how the rush of competitors heading into open water was like a “washing machine.”

“With thousands of people going in, it’s a bit daunting,” he said.

Due to his earlier injury, he was concerned about the wear and tear of the competition but has been fortunate to avoid any serious damage.

Ironman Bolton marked the end of all long-distance events for Morris, as he will be dropping his distances to Olympic standard at Windsor next year.

As for football, he’s been asked to play for Lads Club but is yet to make a decision.

The end has come as a relief for Morris, who is looking forward to getting back on track with life and is awaiting the arrival of a baby with partner Liz in November.

For now, he will be focusing on his career and starting a family and is hoping to use his experience to train others.