Naval senior rate Jason ‘Tom’ Sawyer might have finished almost four days behind the winner of an international competition – but he still won the respect and praise of colleagues for simply finishing one of the toughest events in the world.

CPO Sawyer, who serves with the Commando Helicopter Force at RN air station Yeovilton, was one of just 19 finishers in the Deca Hawaii – the Deca Ironman Triathlon Championships, which attracted competition from across the globe.

The event is ten triathlons combined into one gruelling race – a 24-mile swim, followed by a 1,120-mile cycle ride, finishing with a run of 262 miles.

Just 25 people were brave enough to line up for the start, and by the end five had dropped out and one had been disqualified.

The first athlete to cross the line took nine days, two hours and 38 minutes, and Jason ran in three days, 19 hours and 43 minutes later.

There was plenty of support for the 35-year-old competitor as he gritted his teeth in the final effort – his wife Sarah, sons Joseph and Todd, his mother and father, and his aunt and uncle from New Zealand were all there to cheer him on.

The race is non-stop, said Jason, and you only take a nap when it is really necessary.

The swimming takes some 16 hours in the pool, followed up by at least five days in the saddle (riding some 225 miles a day, allowing only three hours or so for sleep).

And for Jason it was the road race which really hurt.

“Aching feet, legs and pelvis, blisters, blisters and more blisters. Even my blisters had little blisters,” he said.

“The power to overcome pain and suffering – given that this was not a survival situation but a choice of mine to be there – the pain seemed to be worse.”

Jason’s mum joined him on the track three laps from the end, then his wife joined him for the penultimate lap, and for the final agonising mile he was joined by his sons, who ran the mile with him until he lifted them and carried them for the last 100 metres to the line.

“The race was a round-the-clock affair for the crew as well as myself – without them all, this race would not have been possible for me,” said Jason.

The aircrewman was the first British Serviceman to take part in the race – and the second fastest British finisher in the endurance event’s 15-year history. He finished well within the 14-day deadline set by organisers.

Jason is now ranked as Britain’s top ultra athlete – and also jumps to seventh in the world rankings for his performances throughout 2004.

Colleagues in the RN Triathlon Association – www.rnrmtri.co.uk – prevented Jason from getting an unbroken period of sleep following his exertions when they bombarded him with complimentary phone calls.

But that is not the end of the road for Jason.

He already has double and triple marathons lined up across Europe and North America for 2005, as well as the Inter-Services competition at home.

And, despite the pain and the peeling feet, Jason had no hesitation in confirming he would undertake another Deca.