Aly Dixon takes on Ironman challenge to raise funds for Sunderland's Foundation of Light

Aly completed her first Ironman triathlon with a sensational performance in Calella-Barcelona while raising almost £1,000 for the Foundation of Light.

The two-time British marathon champion set her sights on a new challenge after retiring from professional running in 2021.

Three years later, Aly crossed the line in Calella-Barcelona in 10:53:39 to finish as the 66th female, and fourth in her age group, in her first triathlon race at Ironman distance on Sunday, October 6. 

“It was a good day, time flew by,” said the Silksworth native. “I was expecting to be dragging and to be a really long day. Coming down the finish chute, it only felt like five minutes since you were standing on the beach about to go in the sea. 

“It was a 2.4-mile sea swim, 112-mile bike ride, and then a full marathon – 26.2 miles – straight off, consecutively. “There’s a few people that think you do it over three days, but it is straight off.” 

Her fourth-place age group finish was good enough to earn Aly an invite to the World Championships which she had to turn down. 

On what she expected to achieve in her transition to triathlon, Aly said: “I’ve always wanted to do one as like a bucket list challenge thing. 

“Once I stepped back from professional running, I just needed new challenges to keep myself excited. 

“My third aim was just to complete it, and then I had a ‘B aim’ of 11 and a half hours and an ‘A aim’ of 11:15. So to go sub-11 is quite mind-blowing. I was fourth in my age group, so I qualified for the worlds, but sadly I had to turn it down because it was just far too expensive.” 

Aly now works for the Foundation of Light as the coordinator for the Coals to Goals project, which aims to bring the heritage of Sunderland to life in a fun and interactive way using the lived experiences and memories of older adults. 

She fundraised to support the Foundation’s work across Sunderland, South Tyneside, and County Durham in the build-up to the race, with her JustGiving page sitting at £968.

“When the training was getting tough obviously you’ve got that big goal,” she added on her fundraising efforts. “It’s also a little bit more motivation because you know that people are supporting you and you’re doing something more than just achieving your personal goal – you’re helping other people. 

“I’m just short of £1,000 at the minute, I should hit it by the weekend.” 

Some of the participants that Aly works with at the Foundation of Light have been inspired by her achievements, setting up their own challenge to support the fundraising effort. Aly said: “Also just to try and get the word out there and inspire a few other people. 

“Some of the older adults that join in the sessions, they were inspired by what I have done. 

“So they’ve set up their own fitness challenge to complete either 140,000 steps by the end of October, 653 minutes of exercise, because that’s the same amount of time as I took, or cover 140 kilometres. 

“They are making a £2 donation to take part, and they’ll get a medal at the end. So that’s getting them a bit more active and also bringing in a bit more funding.” 

To show your support to Aly and the Foundation of Light, you can head to her JustGiving page via the following link: www.justgiving.com/page/aly-dixon