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Saturday, Feb 21, 2026

Londoner smashes world record for 289-mile triathlon by four hours

Londoner smashes world record for 289-mile triathlon by four hours

A Londoner has broken the world record for an epic 289-mile triathlon from London to Paris by over four hours. Chris Leek set a time of 69 hours and 29 minutes, shaving four hours and ten minutes off the previous record of 73 hours and 39 minutes held by Mark Bayliss since 2012.

The 32-year-old from Orpington, Kent, completed an 87-mile run from Marble Arch to Dover, followed by a 21 mile swim across the English Channel, and a 181-mile bike ride from Calais to the Arc de Triomphe in Paris.

He also became only the fifth competitor ever to complete the feat without wearing a wetsuit for the Channel swim section, 

After setting off at 5pm on August 2, Mr Leek arrived in the French capital on Tuesday.

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