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Writer's pictureGeorge

How completing an IRONMAN is just like becoming a software engineer.

Updated: 4 days ago

How can you tell someone is vegan, a tech enthusiast, or has completed an Ironman? Don't worry they'll tell you in the first five minutes!


Well we are two sentences in and I'm here to tell you that I have completed an Ironman. But why on earth is this relevant?


I would argue that training for and doing an Ironman triathlon, and learning to code and becoming a software engineer, mentally speaking, are in many ways the same.



An AI generated image of a man riding a bike, wearing a wetsuit, using a laptop with a sunrise effect and mountains in the background

I didn't like the idea of using my laptop, whilst

wearing my wetsuit, riding my bike, so please enjoy this AI version.


For anyone that doesn't know, an Ironman event is a 'Full Distance' triathlon that consists of a 3.8km (2.4mi) swim, 180km (112mi) cycle, and then a regulation distance marathon at 42km (26.2mi).


Not only do you have to actually do the three disciplines one after the other, but there's also a very strict cutoff time of 16 hours.


Very few people wake up one morning and just decide to change their career into tech, or launch a tech startup, the same is true for Ironman triathletes.


My personal journey into both was to start small and see how I liked it. From the development point of view, this meant signing up for a free account on codecademy, and trying out some of the learning pathways there.


On the other hand my 'triathlon codecademy' was a sprint distance triathlon at the 'London Tri' weekend. At just 750m for the swim, 20km for the bike, ending in a 5k run, it was a far cry from the full distance, I was able to just enjoy the day and have fun.


I ended that sprint tri buzzing with endorphins and an ear to ear smile! Yes other athletes were achieving faster times, and competing in the longer distances but there I was, with the cheapest wetsuit I could find online, an 8 year old road bike, and a pair of trainers that I was later told, weren't actually running shoes.


The simple step by step coding problems I was doing online gave me a similar feeling to that first sprint triathlon. Thanks to the step by step nature of the teaching I could complete them without too much trouble but that didn't mean that they were easy.


I'm sure you've heard of 'The Dunning Krueger Effect'. It's basically the idea that a small amount of knowledge or experience can cause you to overestimate your abilities.


I was firmly at the peak of mount stupid here both as a software engineer, and as a triathlete.


The Dunning Krueger graph with the peak of mount stupid labelled 'Sprint Triathlon Finish Line' and the Valley of despair labelled 'Training for the full distance'

The actual Dunning Krueger graph doesn't look like this, however this perfectly

illustrates my journey both into Software Engineering and Triathlon


Shortly after crossing the finish line, still high on endorphins, I said the words that would lead me down a path of pain, anguish, and being branded as a bit insane by my friends and family. "I'm going to be an Ironman".


Whilst personally I never actually said the words "I want to be a Software Developer" out loud, looking back, I think that these words come with a similar level of pain and anguish. The only difference is that you're training your brain, rather than your muscles.


The major takeaway that I learned during the 'training' phase for the Ironman, and the development career, is that consistency is key!


Pursuing skill and knowledge, like fitness, is a long road in which there are no shortcuts.


In the same way you can't just wake up one morning and decide to run a marathon without any training.


That's the thing with software engineering, you're not just learning facts and figures, what you're actually doing is learning how to think around and solve problems. And solving problems is hard!


An unfortunate truth though is that achieving big things means that sometimes sacrifices need to be made. From the Ironman point of view, this meant giving up weekends to fit in long cycles, or runs, and my evenings were spent at the pool rather than the pub.


When it came to learning software engineering, thankfully the activation energy required to sit down at my laptop was far lower than going swimming, cycling or running.


Every time you sit at your computer however, (outside of work hours) you have a choice to be entertained, or to learn.


In isolation this choice is easy, but the reality is that watching Netflix, or scrolling Instagram will give you instant gratification, whereas learning that new JavaScript framework definitely won't.


I'd liken the Ironman event itself to the job search, because I'll be absolutely honest with you, both can be a laborious trudge.


On the day of the ironman I completed the longest swim I'd ever done. Thankfully the sea was calm and there weren't too many jellyfish to sting me along the way.


The sense of camaraderie in the starting pens calmed my nerves a little, even if we did all look funny in our shiny wetsuits and bright red swim caps.


No I won't be adding a picture!


The swim was actually quite pleasant even if I did need to deal with people trying to swim over the top of me. I was pleased with my time of 1hr 32 but this was just the start.


Key Takeaway

It's important to bear in mind that when you start your job search it can feel like there's a never ending amount of cover letters to write, networking events to attend, and CV edits to make. Personally, I'm quite confident in interviews in the same way I'm far more at home cycling or running, but the swim was a necessary part of the event. Whilst it can feel pointless writing all of those cover letters, or going out of your way to track down hiring managers, it's a necessary part of getting the job you want.


Once I'd done the swim it was on to the cycle. Entering into the transition zone the biggest shock I had was how few bikes there were left on the racks.


I felt like I was probably the only person left not cycling at this point, nevertheless I still had energy in my legs and I knew my partner would be at the cycle exit of transition to cheer me on.


Key Takeaway

In the job search it can sometimes feel like you're being overtaken by other more experienced people and it's easy to let impostor syndrome kick in. Try as much as possible to suppress these thoughts and continue to push through. You trained for this and you are meant to be there!



On the cycle it was simply a case of counting down the miles. During a few sections of the cycle I was able to take in the beautiful Italian countryside, but a decent portion of the route was along a closed motorway which meant I was accompanied by the worst partner imaginable, my own intrusive thoughts.


At about the 155km mark I seriously started to doubt whether I could complete this, and I'm not afraid to admit that as a 31 year old man, I cried a little.


My hands were bruised from gripping the handlebars, my legs were on fire, my knees shot with pain every peddle stroke, my neck was stiff, and I won't get started on what my saddle was doing to me.


Oh and did I mention there's an intermediate cutoff where you have to complete the swim and cycle no more than 10 hours into the event, a cutoff that I was rapidly approaching.


All this and I still had 25km and a full marathon to run.


Key Takeaway

The easy thing to do would have been to get off my bike and wait for one of the 'sweeper' vans to pick me up. If you want to actually get a job, you've got to keep applying, power on even whilst you're getting rejected.


George on his bike cycling up a hill during the Ironman

Back at transition I put my bike back on the rack (which was now full of all of the bikes that had passed me on the cycle course) and went in search of my bag to lace up my shoes to run the 42km marathon.


If you've never done a triathlon before there's nothing that can prepare you for the frankly weird feeling of having to consciously tell your legs to start running after they've been cycling.


Because of the way the course was laid out, it meant i'd be passing a total of 20 aid stations where I could fuel up on carbs, electrolytes, and water.


Now, I felt that running 42km after everything I had already done would be impossible. Running 2km to the next aid station however? Yeah that seemed doable.


Key Takeaway

Whilst you have to keep focussed on the end goal, break it down! If you're aiming to send 10 applications a week, sending two a day feels far more achievable. This does mean that you end up context switching between job searching and skill building, but in my experience you're better off splitting up your day.


In Cervia, where the event was based, the whole town becomes part of the event, so the streets were lined with supporters including my partner Sam who I heard hoarsely screaming "You can do it George!". It's incredible how much this support actually helped keep me going.


There were moments that I'd hear someone shout words of encouragement and my reaction upon seeing them standing there with a lovely cold beer would be that of derision "That's easy for you to say" I'd think.


After another few kilometres I realised that the spectators were for the most part looking on in awe of what we were achieving and their cheers were coming from a place of support.


Key Takeaway

Nobody can get the job for you, but use the support available to you. It's easy to fall into the trap of feeling alone in a job search, what you're doing really is a big deal, so if someone wants to cheer you on, let them. Surround yourself with people that are eager for you to do well, and distance yourself from those that seek for you to fail.


For the majority of the run I was either working out my carb intake or working out whether my time was fast enough to meet the cutoff, not only was there the 16 hour cutoff, but I also had to be on my last lap by 23:30, else all of the training and hard work would have been for nothing.


I started my last lap at 23:00 and it was at that point that I realised that I'd actually be able to do it, and for the second time that day I shed a tear! Tears of joy this time thankfully.


Key Takeaway

It's really important to keep track of your job applications, just like I was checking my pace and carbohydrate intake, make sure that you keep comprehensive notes about each application, and what stage you're at with them. There's no need to invest in a job tracker, a spreadsheet is perfectly good enough.



George running through the cobbled streets during the marathon section of the Ironman in Cervia Italy


Coming in to the finish area I hobble ran down the carpet and under the finishing arch to hear the words that I'd been striving for all day:


"George Jones, YOU ARE AN IRONMAN!"


So after 226km (140mi), 40 carbohydrate gels, a whopping 2 grams of caffeine, equivalent to about 31 espressos, 3 litres of gatorade, and over 10 litres of water, I was an Ironman! I'd come in 23 minutes under the cutoff time and felt so lucky to have only just made it. The thing is though it wasn't luck, it was a year and a half of intense training, sacrifice, and work.


Key Takeaway

Luck is what you get when preparation meets opportunity. When you do get that perfect job offer, it wasn't luck that got you there, it was your hard work, skill, and determination!


George running through the finishers arch at the ironman Italy. his time of 15:36:27 is shown on the board

Now the only question was 'What's next?'.


Well in the same way that software engineering requires lifelong learning, my answer was, "well I'll do another one... faster!" I'm thinking Copenhagen in 2025, but we will see!


Whether you're looking to get a tech job, or complete a super challenging sports event, one thing is for certain, nobody becomes an overnight success, both take dedication, outside support, and a significant amount of drive to achieve. That said, if I can do it, then I truly believe that anybody can!


If you're the kind of person that works at something until you can do it you should probably book a call with us:



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