Vogele will make the jump from volunteer to full-distance competitor at Ironman Australia Port Macquarie in May.

More at home pedalling through trails during endurance mountain biking events, the 45-year-old wanted a different challenge.

Five years ago he had an opportunity to do an ironman event, but chose mountain biking instead and now the wheel has turned full circle.

"I wanted to do something that challenged me before I got too old to be able to do it properly," he said.

"A couple of years ago I had a chat with the family when I had a chance to choose a mountain bike 24-hour endurance race or ironman.

"I chose mountain biking because I was into it at the time, but I've always wanted to do an Ironman and see how I compare against triathletes."

Vogele's last triathlon he competed in was in the mid-2000s so it is fair to suggest that he is facing the unknown.

He admitted he never really went past club level.

"My background is middle-distance running which isn't a marathon so I've been having issues with that," he said.

"My body is not used to it and in the swimming side of things I've always been a short-distance swimmer.

"I thrash around, but I have been working closely with triathlon coach Mel Cockshutt who has corrected my swimming technique."

Currently in his third year at CSU studying exercise and sports science, Vogele knows an Ironman is as much about the mental side of competing as it is the physical.

"A lot of it is in your brain and a lot of the time you have to be mentally tough to be able to push yourself through even more than what the body wants to," he said.

"When the body wants to stop, you've got to override that and I know if I get my nutrition right I should not have a problem finishing.

"It's that mental barrier that you have to know your body is capable of doing things because everyone else is in the same boat."

Vogele has set the goal of completing the event in around 10 and a half hours, although he knows the reality might be different.

"If I was to add all my times up separately for the three legs I should be able to get under 10 hours which would give me a place in my age category," he said.

"But you don't have them separately; it's one after the other.

"The plan is to survive the swim, push it quite hard in the ride and then hopefully have enough in the tank to come home in the marathon."

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