Two local sportsmen are taking their athletic prowess to the next level.

Over the coming months Cardigan based triathlete Rhys Harries and powerlifter Francis Barrett, will be competing on the world stage in their respective sports.

Later this month Rhys will head for the South of France where he will compete in the Ironman France competition in Nice.

The competition will see the 27 year-old undertake a gruelling challenge which includes a 2.4 mile swim in the Mediterranean Sea, a 112 mile bike ride through the French Alps and a full marathon along Nice’s historic seafront.

“The competition conditions will probably be warmer than I am used to, but I am really looking forward to it,” said Rhys, who works at Cardigan Leisure Centre.

“I will be doing two Ironman events this year, the second in Tenby in September. I am trying to raise money too for the Wales Air Ambulance who helped a friend of mine recently. People have been very generous and so far I have raised about £1,000.”

He added: “I started running five years ago as a means of getting fit, did a few marathons, and it has gone from there. I hope to start up a local triathlon club soon, West Coast Triathlon.”

As part of his training programme Rhys and Francis use Daionic Pro Nutrition Shake, created by award-winning Pembrokeshire organic dairy, Trioni Ltd.

Power lifter, Francis Barrett is a ski instructor at the Urdd youth centre in Llangrannog, the 24 year-old has his sights set on Welsh Counties Powerlifting competition in August, followed by the British Championships in October.

Francis has been weight training since he was 16, but it is only since he was diagnosed two and a half years ago with the inflammatory bowel disorder Crohn’s Disease that he started taking his training seriously and began competing last summer.

Said Francis, “I was hospitalised and lost a lot of weight because of the Crohn’s, but when I was able to start training again I found – for me - the heavy lifting seems to help suppress the symptoms, and now I am able to control my condition through diet and weight training.”

“We are delighted that Daionic is helping Rhys and Francis achieve their sporting potential, and wish them the best of luck in their forthcoming competitions,” said Trioni Ltd’s sales and marketing manager, Dan Jones.