Gerard Prendergast runs the Bodyworks Gym in Ballymun at night. He is the current world record holder for 10 Ironmans in 10 days. He intends to complete a marathon every Friday for the year of 2018 – find out why below.

Are you on a professional level in terms of sport?

It wouldn’t be like Olympic level. The sport is Ultra Endurance so it’s almost in its infancy really. If it was a professional sport I would be at that level. Not many people do it in Ireland but I would be up there

You’re running a marathon every Friday for Mental Health Ireland?

I’m raising awareness and funds for them by doing 52 Iron Man’s in 52 weeks. One a week for 2018.

Does it affect your work? Is it very demanding?

My fitness helps my job. When I’m in here and I have a long day ahead, I use the mental tricks and strength I gain from Endurance Sports to get me through a long day at work. So instead of overthinking it and getting overwhelmed, I draw on the strength I have from the Endurance Sports.

Any tips for staying fit?

I think mental strength within fitness is key. Sometimes, it’s harder to get somewhere to do the training than to actually do the training and once you cop onto that and realise that, it makes it a bit easier. So I think a good kind of mental strength helps physical fitness. It’s easier then to be motivated.

I have to train early enough in the day but I think that ties in with habit as well. If I don’t train early in the morning, I’m thinking about it for the rest of the day.

Would you recommend any sports brands?

I used to be really into brands when I was younger but it as you get older I think you care less about them. I am very fussy with runners. I need very minimalist running shoes. You won’t get them with Nike so the runners I like are Innovate (inov8). That’s because you can’t get those kinds of runners in an everyday brand like Adidas and Nike.

If you’d like to support Ger and his 52 Ironmans in 52 weeks for Mental Health Ireland, you can find the link here: 

This interview was conducted in association with Ballymun 4 Business.