Road-rage victim gears up for Ironman

Two years after a brutal road-rage assault, Alasdair Slade will compete in Saturday's Ironman. Photo / Laurilee McMichael

He thought he would never do an Ironman again.

But two years after a road-rage attack left him with broken collarbones and a shattered hip, Alasdair Slade is gearing up to tackle Taupo's Kellogg's Nutri-Grain Ironman challenge on Saturday.

Mr Slade, 51, was assaulted near Taupo in February 2013 while on a training ride, just days before the Ironman.

He gave Mangakino farmer Joseph Roberts the fingers after Roberts drove head-on at him during a passing manoeuvre. Roberts stopped, got out of his vehicle and assaulted Mr Slade, breaking his collarbone and pushing his bike over. Mr Slade hit the ground hard, breaking his hip and other collarbone. Roberts was sentenced to two years and eight months in prison for the attack but was paroled after serving 10 months.

Mr Slade, a Taupo father of five, spent a month in a wheelchair and weeks on crutches and although he was back doing gentle jogging and cycling at this time last year, he thought his Ironman days were over.

But Rotorua Half Ironman director Shane Hooks persuaded Mr Slade to give his event a go. He finished the event in 6h and 4s, which gave Mr Slade the confidence to try the full Ironman event - his eighth - this Saturday.

It may sound like a dream recovery, but Mr Slade, who now has a plate holding his hip together, says he has both physical and mental reminders of the attack. After 160km or so on the bike on rough chip seal, his hip aches from the constant vibration.

He hasn't trained as much for this Ironman as he has done in past years because he has to allow plenty of recovery time. He's still nervous when he's out training on the bike.

Because of the attack, Mr Slade also gave up his job as a Corrections officer at Tongariro-Rangipo Prison.

He's now a caretaker at a local school, a job he loves. He says he felt he could no longer fulfil his prison role properly.

"I didn't feel 100 per cent physically and mentally able to respond to emergencies the way the job demands ..."

If this Ironman event goes well, there will only be two more to notch up 10 Ironman events, and Mr Slade says although it's an alluring thought, he has to see how this one shapes up first.

He hasn't seen the orthopaedic surgeon who repaired him, Steve McChesney, for many months now but says while Mr McChesney is a fine surgeon, he's also a great psychologist. After the hip operation, Mr McChesney told Mr Slade his running days were over. It was like a red rag to a bull. "I think I might send him a thank you card after this is done."