THRITEEN wounded, injured and sick service personnel - including local hero David Wiseman - will today take on the Tadcaster Triathlon.

The annual event will feature a 400m swim in Tadcaster community swimming pool, a 14km cycle ride along local roads and a 7km run along cross country and riverside paths around the town.

Organisers say that in teams of three, each competitor will be each taking on a single leg of swimming, cycling and running.

York Press:

“Competitors have come together from across the UK including London, Herefordshire and Leicestershire and have a wide range of physical and psychological injuries,” said a spokeswoman.

“Three of the competitors, Ibrar Ali, Dan Bingley and David Wiseman, served with the local Yorkshire Regiment and hope to be cheered on by local crowds.”

Captain Wiseman, of Tadcaster, who was shot in the chest by the Taliban while serving in Afghanistan and captained the GB Armed Forces Team at the 2016 Invictus Games, said all those entering today will be competing alongside able-bodied racers with no special rules, allowances or considerations.

“We see this as an important demonstration of the continued blurring of lines between special adaptive and mainstream sport,” he said.

“The team has been brought together by a partnership of the Endeavour Fund and Help for Heroes.

“Three of the team are veterans who have previously served with the Yorkshire Regiment - Ibi Ali, who lost his arm in Iraq, Dan Bingley, currently undergoing transition from the military on medical grounds, and myself.

“Ibi and I will be competing in the same team of three - I swim and he runs.

“A fellow Yorkshire veteran, James Rose, who lost both legs in Afghanistan, was to join us for the cycling leg but was unfortunately knocked off his hand-bike last week and won’t be competing -we have pulled in a ringer for the cycling!”

Stuart Croxford, programme manager at the Endeavour Fund, said it sought to ensure as many wounded, injured and sick Service personnel and veterans as possible could rediscover their self-belief and fighting spirit through physical challenges.

“The TadTri is just one example of how we do this.

“It’s an opportunity for us to bring a group of men and women together to form some team bonds but also challenge themselves.

Martin Colclough, Head of Sports Recovery at Help for Heroes, said: “Sport can be a powerful way of increasing confidence as well as aiding physical and mental recovery.

“Taking part in events like the TadTri help provide veterans with a sense of purpose and direction as they rebuild their lives.”