Tribute to top mate just what doctor ordered

ANDREW Graham and his vibrant personality will steal the show at the Cairns Ironman on Sunday in a bid to do justice to his mate.

The Cairns orthopaedic surgeon has improved the lives of many but humbly believes his bubbly long-time adventure race partner Greg Parr, who died in April after battling lung cancer, is the true inspiration for himself and everyday peoand ple not to consigned themselves to the couch.

That’s why he will wear just about all of Parr’s race gear, including the straw hat, and maybe even strip off to reveal the costume of the pair’s favourite comic book hero, The Phantom, to put smiles on some faces and maybe get them involved.

The self-effacing 58-yearold just wants to do due honour, as promised, to the man who changed his life for the better and ran alongside him in his maiden Ironman event.

“I promised him, so I have to do it,” Graham said.

“So I am going to wear all his gear, his helmet and I expect to take at least half an hour in transition changing into his riding gear.

“Greg used to always run with a straw hat on – God knows why – so I have his hat and a lovely photo of him.

“He’s one of these incredibly rare people who not just did it himself, he has encouraged so many people to do it themselves, not just to do the Ironman but do it as a team or the half-Ironman and go and do surf life saving. Between he and his wife Sharmie, they’ve introduced a lot of people to get off their bum.”

The preparation has not been ideal, although decidedly exotic. He traversed the battlefields of France with his dad and supported his daughter’s medical placement in Malawi, returning only recently to implement a 10-day lead-up plan.

But he has heaps of experience on seven-day adventure races with Parr under his belt, on top of eight walks of Kokoda, 20 years of lifesaving, a love of mountain biking and parttime work as an outback survival guide to lean on.

Graham just needs the fans to have a dig at him while loping along, just as Parr did.

“I actually need to be told what an idiot I am,” he said.