Billy Monger takes on seaside Ironman challenge

Mr Monger had both legs amputated after a near-fatal crash in 2017

A former racing driver who had both of his lower legs amputated after a crash is taking on an Ironman challenge.

Billy Monger will swim, cycle and run around the Ironman 70.3 Weymouth course to raise money for Comic Relief.

The Dorset race is half the distance of a traditional Ironman event.

The 25-year-old from Surrey is using it as a warm-up for the Ironman World Championship in Hawaii in October.

Billy Monger completed a half Ironman event in the Netherlands in June

Sunday's event will see him swim 1.2 miles (1.9km) away from Weymouth's beach and back again.

He will then cycle 56 miles (90km) and finish with a 13.1 mile (21km) run from Lodmoor Country Park to the finish area.

He completed a similar feat at the Ironman 70.3 Westfriesland in the Netherlands in June.

Mr Monger said his final Ironman race in October appealed to him because there is a world record attempt attached to it.

The Hawaii World Championship race requires competitors to finish in 17 hours.

Mr Monger hopes to break the world record for a double amputee in that race, which currently stands at 16 hours and 27 minutes.

"It's been a huge challenge," he said.

"I started training for this in October of last year and by the time I get to Hawaii, it would have been a year of training."

Mr Monger said he has been training for three hours a day.

"It's a lot of effort that is going into getting me prepared to take this on," he said.

Mr Monger had both legs amputated after a near-fatal crash in 2017.

Since then he has worked as a TV broadcaster and taken on a variety of challenges for charity including a 140 mile (225km) walk, cycle and kayak in 2021, which raised more than £3m for Comic Relief.

He also took part in Celebrity Race Across the World in 2023.