EAST Essex Triathlon Club members are gearing up for their toughest challenge yet.

A team of 14 athletes from the club will be taking up the mighty Ironman challenge in Austria this summer.

The gruelling triathlon covers a 2.4-mile swim, a 112 mile cycle ride and a 26.2 mile run.

"All three disciplines are completed one after the other without any breaks, other than changing shoes and maybe socks," said club chairman Richard Fuller.

The 14 athletes - nine men and five women - will make up the largest contingent East Essex Tri have sent to tackle the Ironman.

The team - Zena Shean, Jo Bidston, Sue Fuller, Chris Mowle, Jan Burrows, John Smith, Mark Brown, Ian George, Chas Baynes, Neil Lynch, Ian Steddon, Chris Taylor, Gary Langridge-Brown and Richard Sandison - began their training on New Year's Day with a long bike ride.

Most of the team meet a couple of times a week at Runnymede swimming pool for training under the guidance of the club's swim coach Mandy Smith.

And this training will also include open water swimming at the Lakeside Shopping Centre lake in Thurrock from next month.

The group also cycle together on Sunday mornings, currently covering up to 80 miles over a five-hour session, which is usually followed straight away by a 30-minute run.

All the training will gradually increase in the run-up to the event, while members will attend a training camp in Hungary in early May under the guidance of former club coach Gabor Fraskerti.

"This is an excellent opportunity for the club members to experience racing overseas," added Fuller.

"Everything from packing and unpacking their bikes, cycling on the other side of the road, pre, post and during race nutrition will all be practiced during this training camp."

The Ironman in Austria also includes an Ironkids event, which will be held on the day before the main race.

"Once again East Essex will be well represented in this swim-run race with many of the children of the athletes taking part," Fuller said.

"This is an added incentive for the families and gives the children a taste of the atmosphere and the valuable experience of competing overseas."