I’M TACKLING THE IRONMAN Ex-Saints defender to set new goal in Austria
St Johnstone legend Jim Weir is preparing himself for a very different kind of challenge.
Jim will be taking part in the gruelling Ironman Austria Triathlon which takes place in the lakeside resort city of Klagenfurt on Sunday, June 1.
Located some 310km south of Vienna, between Italy and Slovenia, the area is considered to be one of the most beautiful places in the world.
The 3.8km swim will be an in-water start followed by an 180km bike course finishing off with a 42km run.
The new course runs from Klagenfurt through Südufer to Velden and back to the starting position. The loop will be repeated twice and can take up to 15 hours to complete. Weir, however, is embracing the challenge.
He said: “It’s my idea to do it. I do some of the smaller races but the Ironman is one of the bigger ones.
“So when I did the Bolton Ironman in 2016 it gave me boost to do another one in the future and I just decided I wanted to do Austria.
“People spoke highly of it, saying how Weir with supporters Sam Weir, David Sands, David Fleming, Drew Fleming, Willie Weir and Craig Johnston well run it is and how hard it is to get into it. You know you need to be booking in fairly quickly because it sells quick.
“It’s not the easiest place to get to so its about three-and-a-half hour drive from Munich but I’ve heard the scenery is beautiful.”
Weir will be joined by his brother and