Metropolitan police detective chief inspector Matt Hogg wins Ironman-distance triathlon by huge margin on return from three-year injury

Triathlete Matt Hogg took part in a 140-mile race following a three-year injury lay-off – and finished almost an hour ahead of his nearest rival.

The Thorley-based father of two, 35, has been slowly working his way back to fitness since 2021 after suffering from osteitis pubis.

The inflammation of the joint between the left and right pubic bones is extremely difficult to overcome. Hogg, who sustained the injury when qualifying for the Ironman World Championship in Hawaii in 2021, had to focus on swimming and cycling as running was out of the question.

But after a lengthy hiatus and only three months of proper running training, he made it to the start line of the Ironman-distance Odyssey Triathlon in St Neots on July 6.

And he completed the 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride and a marathon in 9hr 33min as he got home 50 minutes ahead of the runner-up.

“There was no doubt I was going to get to the finish line, it was how quickly I could get there,” said Hogg, who is a detective chief inspector in the Metropolitan police.

He began the gruelling day by clocking 59 minutes for the swim before completing the bike ride in “horrific” conditions.

Despite it being the middle of summer, Hogg was still freezing in the cold and wet, even when wearing gloves and a winter coat. Only around 40 of the 100 or so entrants were able to complete the race.

He finished the ride in 5hr 9min, with his lead intact, before donning his running shoes.

He started out doing 6min 40sec miles and was registering around eight minutes per mile by the end as he clocked 3:19 for a 9:33 total and a huge margin of victory.

“You don’t know where you are on the course so I was running like I was being chased,” said Hogg.

“I didn’t know I was going to win by that much. I was hanging around for about an hour waiting to get on the podium.”

Hogg’s wife Nat and their young children, five-year-old Seb and three-year-old Lottie, watched him cross the finish line from home via WhatsApp while his parents, brother and a friend cheered him on in person.

The race has understandably left him sore and he is now unable to run for the next six weeks after suffering a muscle tear on the side of his hip.

But he is looking forward to representing Team GB in the 30-39 age group race at the Aquabike World Championship near Malaga in Spain in October.