The iron man of Sheridan

Jim Weir tells us how he juggles a full-time job as retail sales manager at Sheridan with the demands of managing Forfar Athletic FC and training for his next Iron Man challenge… 

When Jim Weir isn’t being Sheridan’s retail sales manager for Scotland, he’ll be out training for his second Iron Man Challenge in Austria on July 1.

It takes him 30 weeks of training and he competes in half and full marathons across Scotland as part of his preparations. Unsurprisingly, he’s not at home much. His training is especially hard in winter, not helped by the fact that he lives in Perth, where the average winter temperature is around freezing.

On top of his Iron Man Challenges, the 48-year-old is a former footballer and manages his local professional side, Forfar Athletic. He has also played in the senior Scottish leagues for Hamilton Academical, Hearts and St Johnstone, as well as stints as manager for Montrose, Arbroath, Brechin City and Elgin City.

Says Weir: “I just love the feeling of bringing new customers on board or winning a football match, then pushing myself to be healthy and a role model. I raise money for various charities too, which is also a big motivator.”

Jim Weir
Jim Weir

Every day he starts at 5.45am with a training run or a session on his bike before he starts his full-time day job. While Perth is pretty central for all of his training, as retail sales manager his travelling can take him anywhere in Scotland, visiting various retailers and accounts.

Football training takes up two evenings a week, swimming another two evenings and his weekends involve long runs and bike rides in all weathers among the stunning scenery of Scotland.

When asked how he juggles a full-time time job with training and managing a football team, he says: “Of course, there are times when plans have to change at the last minute, whether it’s a customer with a problem, or an urgent visit to our head office in Yorkshire. Luckily, I have an assistant who can step in for me to cover club training, and I never go anywhere without running kit in the car.

“Planning for a competition or football match means my diary is planned well in advance, but you have to learn to be flexible and adapt to circumstances that are out of your control.”

When asked what tips he would give to anyone looking to take on such a challenging and demanding lifestyle, he answers: “Plan well in advance. Be flexible to change. Don’t try to cram too much in. Remember rest days.”

The Iron Man Challenge involves a 2.4-mile swim in open water, a 112-mile cycle ride and running a marathon. His first was in 2016, when he raised £5,000 for Scope UK and completed it in 11 hours 40mins.

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