BECKENHAM endurance athlete Nick Kinsey has just returned from competing in the Ford Ironman world triathlon championships in Hawaii.

It was the first time he had appeared at the event in four years and here he spills the beans to News Shopper online about how he got on.

EVER since my last visit to 'The Ironman' in 2005, I had been planning a return at the age of 50 to win my 50-54 age category.

However, things don’t always work out as planned.

It started to go a little pear shaped just two weeks after my qualifying race (Austria Ironman) at the end of July when something went seriously wrong inside my ankle.

I had an MRI scan, which showed it was some sort of stress injury in the area of the sub-talar joint.

At first, even walking was painful and I didn’t run train for 10 weeks prior to the race.

But my Hawaii flights were booked and hotel deposits paid, so I decided to go for it.

What the hell, how hard can it be to run a marathon on a dodgy ankle?

Pre-race, my taper went well.

I had managed to jog four miles two days prior to the race in only moderate pain and I reached race morning totally rested and in a very upbeat mood, all factors which are almost as important as the training.

The sun rose on race day to illuminate a beautifully tranquil sea.

But this tranquility was shattered as the cannon fired and 1,800 Ironman qualifiers kicked and clawed to get an early lead.

Once into a rhythm, the swim flew by and I rounded the boat at the turn round in 31 minutes and got back to the pier and up the ramp to collect my bike bag in 65 minutes in 567th place.

I was looking forward to the bike ride as I had been forced to concentrate my training on this element, culminating in two weeks of intensive training in northern Mallorca.

The bike route in Kona circles the town and then heads north up the Queen K Highway.

This first 40km was quite congested, as I picked my way past faster swimmers.

After 70km, as I guzzled my first SIS gel, I felt fantastic and was still strong as I climbed up to the halfway turn at Hawi, passing scores of riders.

Normally I begin to feel a little jaded at about 110km or so, but luckily the training had paid off and I was still able to push.

This was lucky because that was when the headwinds started - all the way to the finish, sapping my speed and any strength I had left for the run.

Now I was in trouble, 26 miles on a dodgy ankle and already pretty wasted.

Still, I had moved up to 307th in the race overall, passing 260 athletes on the bike.

Starting the marathon run, the ankle was painful from mile one.

I was running lopsided, or so it felt, and limping. I really don’t know how I completed the marathon to be honest as I was walking (or hopping really) as early as mile seven.

I eked out the few joules of energy I had left in my body until mile 24 at the bottom of Pay and Save Hill.

At this point, I knew I could make it home and could put up with the pain in my ankle for a short time, so I really went for it.

I thought I was catching the German athlete for third place and a podium finish, so I ran a 6m06s last mile, overtaking him in the last 50m on Alii Drive, and was elated at the finish.

I had done it - 10hrs02m and 300th place.

Later I discovered we had both been overtaken somewhere out there, limping along on the Queen K and he had actually only been in sixth place and not third.

This was frustrating as the first five made the awards podium with a nice big trophy.

I lost out on fifth spot by 50 seconds and missed fourth place by three minutes, beaten by an Australian, a Belgian, and three Americans.

I am only just walking normally now two weeks later and really did not do my ankle any good at all.

Still, you only live once and I don’t want any regrets.

Next year I will get the measure of those 'ole boys'.