In the lead up to the Outlaw Triathlon (www.theoutlawtriathlon.com), we will be running a monthly feature highlighting some of the athletes taking part on August 8th to... 'Meet the Outlaws'.

Tom Williams from Leeds is 35 and training for the Outlaw . “I've wanted to do a UK based iron-distance race for a long time,” he said. With Jack Maitland coaching him and Martin Yelling as a good friend, Tom has got some expert help on hand.

In fact, with a 9hr28min Ironman finish already under his belt in a relatively short long distance career, we reckon it might be worth visiting his website, www.marathontalk.com to download his running podcast with Martin Yelling. We caught up with him to find out more...

(Photography is courtesy of www.helenturton.co.uk)

How did you get into triathlon: On a surfing holiday in Lanzarote in 2005 we stumbled on the Ironman and signed up for swim lessons as soon as we got home!

Triathlon highlight: Crossing my first Ironman finish line in Austria 2006.

Triathlon lowlight: Not getting to the Vitruvian start line in 2009 because I was so fatigued from a tough season.

First long distance race: Bala Middle Distance in 2006 - went really well until half-way on the run, I went off way way way too hard and suffered for every step of the final 10k.

If the Outlaw was the last race you could ever do, what would you hope to achieve? To love every single mile and savour the privilege that being iron-fit is... it's easy to get caught up in finish times or positions but just being healthy enough to swim, bike and run for 140.6 miles in one day is something that the majority of people will never get to experience.

Have you raced in Nottingham before? Only at the Club Relay Champs for my tri club, Leeds & Bradford Tri. Great venue and great organisation! Will be spending plenty of time on the course this summer!

How's training going? For the Outlaw in August, great! For Lanzarote in May, not so great!

What specific preparation will you do for the Outlaw? Lots of time trials around the UK, this is a great way to get bike fit without breaking the bank. Plenty of training sessions on the bike course, and maybe the Yorkshire 12 Hour TT Champs two weeks out. It really is 'all about the bike'.

What's your recommendation to anyone thinking of entering? Do it now... it WILL sell out and you WILL be gutted if you're not on the start line.

And advice to beginners? With the right training and plenty of dedication anyone can cover the distance. Get yourself an experienced coach. Jack Maitland (thetriathloncoach.com) helped me through my first ever iron journey and really did make a huge difference.

If you could borrow the arms/legs/equipment of the pros and use them at the Outlaw, whose would you use? My dream combination would be Chrissie Wellington's positive attitude, Phil Graves' limitless confidence and Alistair Brownlee's ruthless racing style!

What will you do after finishing the Outlaw? Go straight to the food tent then hit the finish line to join the party!