BLACKBURN Harrier Brian Fogarty already has big ambitions after completing his second ever Ironman triathlon.

The 28-year-old finished in the top 450 out of 3,000 athletes at the European Championships in Frankfurt, the ninth fastest Briton, and is now hungry for more. Fogarty, who has his own insurance company, is planning on entering Ironman UK in Bolton next year before ultimately looking for quali-fication for the World Championships in Hawaii. He said: “It is a challenge, but one that is so rewarding.

“The feeling you get when you cross that finish line is brilliant. “The training is time consuming and is hard work but, like anything, you get out of things what you put in.

“The fact I have my own business obviously helps with the time commitments. “In the build-up to an ironman, you are looking at 25 hours a week of training.

“I would swim twice a day, do a six-hour bike ride and then obviously lots of running. “I have done a lot of distance running and a couple of marathons but last year I gave Ironman a go in Switzerland and really enjoyed it.

“I am encouraged by my early performances as well. “I am an ambitious person and ultimately, I want to compete in the Worlds and I don’t see why that can’t be achieved.” Fogarty finished the Ironman Triathlon in Frankfurt in a credible time of 10 hours 18 minutes as he showed he could compete among a competitive field. The Ironman races involve a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike ride and a 26.2-mile run over one day. Fogarty, from Blackburn, said: “I have done the Amsterdam and London marathon.

“For marathon running, I was trying to get my weight down to look leaner but, because of my footballing background, I am quite well built. “I thought I was naturally built for cycling and so I looked at triathlon and thought I would give that a go. I am happy with how it has turned out so far.”

Fogarty, cousin of superbike ace Carl Fogarty, played football in his early days, spending time at Burnley as a YTS, before joining Blackburn Harriers. The stress of track running on the legs caused a few injuries though, leaving him to look at triathlon as a fresh sport to attempt. He said: “At 28, I am actually still quite young for a triathlete.

“They say the older you are, the better you are in a lot of cases in this sport. I am looking forward to doing more in the future and hopefully getting better.”