Ebotse resident swims, cycles and runs to victory at Ironman SA

The Citizen

05-05-2025

Upon retirement, most people opt for a laid-back lifestyle to relax after years of hard work. Not Ebotse Golf and Country Estate resident Alan Charles Robertson.
Instead, the 65-year-old former biathlete, modern pentathlete and longtime Denel employee decided to speed up, work hard and push his body to the limits.
Victory on debut
Robertson recently clinched first place in the men's 65-69 category at the Isuzu Ironman Nelson Mandela Bay Championships in March.
He completed the 3.8km swim in 01:35:49, before cycling the 180km distance in 07:56:35. He then completed the marathon in 05:23:12, clocking a combined 15:21:22 for victory.
'I didn't go and break myself because 15 hours is a long time. I knew I was going to go for 15 hours. I went out to finish and just went out with constant speed in each of the events,' he said.
It was his first full triathlon and it was made special by the fact that he did it with his son-in-law, Nathan Pearson beside him, while their family was on the route supporting them.
'I've been fortunate that at 65 years, I don't take one tablet. That's quite good when a lot of your friends have passed away. I can still do the Ironman and I'm blessed to have Nathan as my partner. That's what counts – doing it with your whole family.'
Early career
Robertson took up endurance sports early in his life. He's a former national U17 and U19 biathlon record holder, setting the milestones in 1977 and 1979.
He took up triathlon in 1980 and won the national champs in 1981. He then joined the army and was introduced to modern pentathlon. He was a Springbok for over 11 years. His career highlight was second place in the American national championships in 1981.
Afterwards, Robertson transitioned into karate. He opened the Goju Karate Academy and was president for 25 years.
He still participated in the triathlon, doing several Olympic-distance triathlons with his children, Warren and Claire.
Family affair
After Claire married Pearson, it wasn't long before Pearson and Robertson developed an unbreakable bond that culminated in the duo frequenting the Ironman 70.3 competitions around the country for the past four years.
'We trained together with his son, Warren, for our first triathlon in 2021. Alan had just retired and because I own my own business, it was a natural transition for us,' Pearson said.
While he was a strong cyclist, learning to swim took serious work but his father-in-law was right beside him to give him lessons.
'I was only strong in cycling. Because Alan had a background in swimming, he coached us. He knew how to train. That knowledge was like a parenting relationship you can't pay for.'
Pearson did his first full Ironman last year and he was on hand to see Robertson cross the line in Gqeberha. They swam together and came out of the water in tow but afterwards, it was every man for himself.
'This has become our bread and butter. I was excited for Alan when he came first because I knew he wanted the podium,' Pearson said.
The duo will continue to swim, cycle and run together and are looking forward to the SEESA Jozi Triathlon at CR Swart Dam in September.
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