Ironman triathlon competitor carries son the entire way round

HAVING a father you truly look up to is one of the greatest gifts a boy can have.

For Harrison Smith, an English lad who has Duchenne muscular dystrophy, dad Alex really is the greatest father in the world.

Alex took on an Ironman triathlon, whilst carrying his eight-year-old son the entire course!

This superhuman feat requires you to complete a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile cycle ride and a 26.2-mile marathon.

Add to that the fact that Alex did it all with 40-kg Harrison along for the gruelling journey, and you can see why the youngster might just idolise his dad a bit.

He hauled his son in a catamaran behind him as he swam, pulled him in a trailer as he cycled, and then put him in a racing chair as he ran.

Ironman triathlons are considered one of, if not the, most gruelling one-day sporting events on Earth, but Alex and Harrison completed the Challenge Denmark Ironman Distance Triathlon in 15 hours, 36 minutes and 29 seconds.

They also managed to raise an amazing £30,000 for Harrison’s Fund, a charity set up by Alex and his family to help find a cure for this awful disease, which affects one in every 3,500 boys.

Before setting out, Alex had vowed to be his son’s lungs, heart and legs, and so it has proved, as well as his biggest inspiration.

Duchenne can leave you in a wheelchair by 12, dead by 20, and is almost always passed through the female side of a family, mother to son.

The family have since found out that Harrison’s brother William doesn’t have it.

Harrison’s parents took him to see a specialist after they noticed he often bumped into things and, when he fell over, failed to put his hands out to break the fall.

Told he might have one of the dystrophies, they checked online but, as nobody in wife Donna’s line had had it, they felt safe from Duchenne.

On diagnosis, Alex and Donna decided they were certainly not just going to accept there was no hope.

They also want to try to help thousands of boys in the future, who might also be told it is just a death sentence.

As he worked in branding, Alex felt existing Duchenne charities connected properly with what he and his family were going through.

That is how this remarkable father and his brave young son came to take on the Challenge last year, and it makes emotional viewing in a TV documentary.

The Challenge: My Iron Man Dad is on the Discovery Channel on Sunday, June 19, at 7.30pm

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