Ironman Adam McCluskey was fit and healthy when his life was turned upside down with an aggressive B-cell lymphoma diagnosis two years ago.
This weekend, as more than 3,000 athletes get ready for the 35th Ironman Australia triathlon in Port Macquarie, the Newcastle-based triathlete will make his phenomenal comeback with a 3.8-kilometre swim, 180km bike ride and 42.2km run.
"I was told twice in 2020 that I shouldn't be [alive]," McCluskey said.
"The goal was to get myself to the start line and see what happened after that.
The Ironman Australia triathlon hasn't been held on the NSW Mid North Coast since 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and flooding events.
During that time, McCluskey has been on his own journey to overcome life-changing hurdles.
When he was diagnosed with aggressive cancer in February 2020, the father-of-two was admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU) where 16 litres of fluid was removed from his right lung.
His first round of chemotherapy treatment put him in a coma for five days, which lead to an 11-day stay in ICU.
The following month, he suffered a chemotherapy-induced brain injury which meant he had to relearn how to use his body.
"What was scary was knowing my wife and my kids were going through this."
McCluskey, who still experiences side effects from his ordeal, is the first to admit the May 1 race won't be an easy task.
"It's been two years where I've had to come to terms [with the fact] I'm not the person that I used to be. I can't do the things that I used to and I can't do them as strongly and as quickly."
McCluskey, who is a professor of chemistry at the University of Newcastle, credits his miraculous recovery partly to his love of triathlons.
"I was basically told that if I hadn't been training and fit I wouldn't have survived my first night in ICU."
Sunday's event will mark his ninth Ironman. His first was in 2007.
He'll be proud no matter the outcome.
"When I went through the brain injury I couldn't walk 10 metres. [At] the end of 2020 I was still walking with a cane.
"It's scary but I think it's going to be an absolutely awesome weekend."
Athletes rejoice
The return of the Mid North Coast's Ironman race has been welcomed by many professional athletes whose careers have been affected by travel restrictions and cancelled events.
Triathlete Tim Van Berkel said it had been "really tough" with no racing.
"A lot of us have taken massive sponsorship hits ... so it's been really hard," the former Ironman Australia podium finisher said.
"I haven't travelled for two years now, so I've missed a fair bit of racing and I'm just excited to get back."
'Fantastic' boost for region
Tourism businesses are also looking forward to the return of the Ironman event after its COVID-19 hiatus
Greater Port Macquarie Tourism Association president Janette Hyde said the event was important to the region.
"The [COVID-19] lockdowns were just so significant to our local operators so having a positive event like Ironman coming is just fantastic."
