TWO Herefordshire athletes are heading off to Austria to compete this weekend in one of the world's most gruelling races.

Police officers Colin Kerfoot and Tim Taylor are taking part in 'The Iron Man' in Klagenfurt, in the foothills of the Alps.

The race, on Sunday, consists of a two-and-a-half mile swim in Lake Worthersee, followed by a 112-mile cycle ride, rounded off by a 26-mile run.

Kerfoot and Taylor, who are members of Hereford Triathlon Club, have been training for several months for the challenge in which they will be joined by 2,200 other competitors, many of them professionals.

"I am hoping to finish the race, which is my first major event at this distance, and am looking to complete within 14 hours," said Colin Kerfoot.

As a road policing officer, Kerfoot is often first at the scene of serious road accidents and so deals regularly with the Air Ambulance, which he is running the race to support.

"I have raised about £200 so far from friends and colleagues, but I hope to build on this and raise as much money as I can for both the Air Ambulance and Cancer Research, an equally deserving charity," he said.

6 Iron men Tim Taylor (left) and Colin Kerfoot pictured outside Hereford Police Station before heading for this weekend's tough competition in Klagenfurt, Austria.