Bomber to have blast at Ironman 70.3 Tasmania
It’s not every day you meet someone named Bomber but then again, it’s not every day you would meet a 74year-old willing to tackle a 113km ironman event around Hobart.
But for Bomber Hutchinson (pictured), that’s exactly how he will spend his Sunday.
The Melbourne native turned Gold Coast resident will be the oldest competitor in the debut edition of the Ironman 70.3 Tasmania with over 1,200 athletes from 30 countries set to descend upon Hobart for the world famous race.
“I’m excited and nervous being the oldest one in the race,” Hutchinson said.
“My friends back home in the Good Times Running and Cycling Club are all sending me messages saying good luck so hopefully I can just finish the course.”
The Ironman 70.3 Tasmania will be Hutchinson’s fourth ironman event with the feat all the more remarkable given he only learned to swim at 58 years old following a near-death experience as a child.
“I nearly drowned as a kid and I just had a fear of water but I had to overcome it to be a triathlete,” the avid runner said.
“I couldn’t swim my whole life.
“But at 58 I decided I wanted to compete in ironman events so I jumped in the pool and learnt to swim.
“I’m still a s**t swimmer but an average bike rider and a good runner so at the end I’m usually catching all the people that got me on those legs, the ones I want to beat anyway.”
The 1.9km swim, 90km ride and 21.1km run will test the physical and mental limits of Hutchinson but if anyone is up for the challenge it’s the Vietnam veteran.
“I did 13 months in Vietnam but you’ve probably got to be fitter to do an ironman,” he said.
“Both test you physically and mentally but if I get through this one, I will definitely do another ironman.”