Almost (!) all-conquering endurance athlete Iain Veitch is preparing to tick the one box that has eluded him in a glittering triathlon career.
Fresh from winning the famed SaharaMan event in Algeria at the beginning of this year the 44-year-old, from Peebles, has now set sights on The Celtman, an event regularly referred to as “brutal” and featuring a 4km swim in jellyfish infested Loch Shieldag, a 42km mountain run and a 200km cycle around the Torridon region including the N500.
“If I had managed to win instead of finishing runner-up last year and third in 2024 I don’t think I’d have entered CeltMan again” said Iain when hinting at unfinished business.
“A few weeks beforehand I slipped a broke a vertebrae in my back while training. So, considering that background, I’m keen to see how I perform having produced a good performance overall to finish second last year (in 11:13:49).
“It is safe to say it is a major box to be ticked in and I want to try and win before I get any older having sworn I wouldn’t go back!”
By way of a warm up for the 13 June event Iain will travel to Snowdonia to contest the Roc Wales which, by comparison with CeltMan is “only” a 1.5km sea swim, a 100 km cycle and a run up and down Snowdon.
Iain has won the event twice including with a course record and was runner up in 2025.
Meanwhile, reflecting on his SaharaMan achievement Iain said: “I was genuinely taken aback by the reaction which included a man coming up to me in the street and saying ‘thanks for putting Peebles on the map!
“Considering much of my training had been done in a grim Scottish winter wearing a head torch and battling icy temperatures looking back I have to be chuffed at going out and winning in North African heat.”
