The 28-year-old Kahibah resident is in preparation for the Hawaiian Triathlon to be held later on this year.

On a weekly basis, he has been swimming 20 kilometres, running 5km and cycling 400kms on the bike.

On top of training for the upcoming Hawa-iian triathlon, he has been commuting to Sydney for work as a fireman, as well as juggling his fatherhood responsibilities to his six-month-old son Noah.

The next step in his training schedule is the Newcastle Permanent Lake Macquarie Fun Run, to be held on the August 31 at Warners Bay foreshore.

Gibbs said he will be using the Fun Run as preparation for his triathlon training.

Having competed in the gruelling Hawaiian Triathlon once before, Gibbs hopes the Fun Run will strengthen his running skills in the lead up to the big event.

As most long distance runners peak at around 30 to 33 years of age, Gibbs believes he still ‘has a few years left under the belt’.

His career highlight thus far was finishing the Western Australian Triathlon in under nine hours in December last year.

He also competed in the Hunter Valley Marathon earlier this month, finishing seventh.

Entry forms for the Newcastle Permanent Lake Macquarie Fun Run are available from the Newcastle Star office at Broadmeadow or online at www.lakehalf.com