A three-times Olympian, a four-times world champion, a former world record holder, an Ironman legend, the ‘Man with the Halo’....Tim Don can be defined as each of those things, all of those things and yet so much more.

Having smashed the previous world record, clocking 7hr 40min 23sec at the 2007 Ironman South American Championship in Brazil, Don was preparing for the Ironman World Championships in the competition’s spiritual home of Kona, Hawaii.

The ultimate test of endurance, athletes compete over a 2.36-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride and then a full marathon (26.2 miles) and Don was considered the clear favourite.

Having successfully accomplished his boyhood dream of competing at not one, but three Olympic Games and successfully transitioned from an Olympic triathlete to the sheer endurance of Ironman distances, he was primed for another crowing moment, to stand on top of the Ironman winners podium, but he did not even make the start line, fate took him down a different road.

“I remember my bike skidding towards the car and knowing I was going to be hit; it was like slow motion,” said Don on the fateful accident just three days before the World Championships.

“About 20-odd minutes later, I woke up on the side of the road in a lot of pain. I just thought I’d broken my collarbone, the adrenaline kicked in and I was in and out of consciousness.

“It was X-rayed and I was told my collarbone wasn’t broken and so I thought I had whiplash and I would be good to go for the race. That’s all I could think of.

“Then I had further scans and realised the full extent, I was heart broken and I thought I had let everyone down.

“I felt I had one bite at the cherry, particularly at my age. I was 39, I had broken the world record, I was in the best form of my life, I was comfortably the favourite there to win in Kona.

“The stars were aligned and then it’s taken away from you; it was heart wrenching to know that could be it, my racing career was done.”

Scans revealed the collision had resulted in a a broken C2 vertebra. With his immediate dreams dashed, Don was faced with two options, a spinal fusion or a medieval-like halo brace, literally screwed into his skull to stabilise his neck and torso while the bones healed.

The fusion was a quick fix but would limit his mobility so much so that he would never race at the top level again. The rarely opted for halo would mean a painful three months, but it would give him the best chance for a full return to the sport he loves. In Don’s mind, there was only one choice.

“It was hard battling those demons of knowing I couldn’t compete at Kona but quickly I decided that I wasn’t ready to give up my career and had to treat it like any other injury,” Don added.

“People rarely opt for the halo but I knew it was my best option to give me the best possible chance to compete again.”

For three excruciating months Don had to sleep upright and could only do so for 90 minutes at a time. His medication made him vomit, but the gagging reflex affected the screws in his head and left him in indescribable pain.

His wife, Kelly, became his full-time nurse. She had to wash him, dress him, and clean the screws daily, as well as looking after their two young children, Matilda and Hugo.

“There were times when I couldn’t see the end, the screws were literally coming loose in my skull, so much so that I had to have another one inserted. There was worries that my skull would crack,” he said.

“It was a real family effort and that gave me the determination to do whatever it took to get back.”

However, the hard work did not really begin until January 3, 2018, a day of pure relief, as the halo was removed, and the task ahead truly dawned on him.

“While the halo was on all I had to really think about was my neck, I had no other obstacles,” Don added.

“Each vertebrate had not moved at all in three months. Once the halo came off there was a realisation of the journey ahead; it was unfathomable.

“Once it was off, people just assumed I was normal again,they didn’t realise that the real battle had only just began.

“If I had been younger I would have taken a year off, but at 40 I knew my timleine was harsher. Time waits for no man; I had to get back as quickly as possible.

“For me that was the driving force, literally for me life started at 40 again.”

Just as he had done as a naturally gifted 13-year-old at Thames Turbo Triathlon Club in England, Don started almost afresh, just four months on, with the first real goal of completing the Boston Marathon.

“It was one of the worst race conditions on record. Half the professional field didn’t finish but I knew that was a good gauge to get back to where I wanted to be.”

The development continued with victory in Costa Rica at half-ironman event and more pivotally qualification points. Injuries ensued in proceeding races but by virtue of being in the top 50, Don had earned the right to return to Kona to put the demons of a year previously to bed.

However, after being gaining admiration through his inspirational journey back to fitness, Don admits he had become bored of being known as the “Man with the Halo”, the inner champion was desperate to be feared by his rivals again.

“Everyone spoke to me as being an inspiration, calling me amazing for the fact I was just there, I didn’t want to be that, I wanted to a world champion again,” he admits.

“I wanted to draw a line under being the ‘Man with the Halo’ and be there as an athlete, by right, not through pity.

“I wanted them to respect me not because of what happened to me but for the right reasons competitively.”

Don went on to cross the line in 36th, an incredible achievement in itself, but for him it meant so much more on a personal level.

“To see my family at the finish line was incredible,” he recalls. “Crossing that line was just pure relief, it was vindication, it was a reset, I saw it as 364 days until the next one, lets have it.

Don, who is in Bermuda as part of the World Triathlon Bermuda Kids Coaching Clinic at the National Sports Centre on Sunday, still dreams of winning the Ironman World Championships, as he reflected on what his legacy will be once he decides to retire.

“It’s back to business, back to what I love doing,” added the 41-year-old, who will be returning to Kona this year.

“I believe I can be back to where I once was, it won’t be easy but I have to try.

“Hopefully when people see my name on start lists they fear me again. I’ve got to earn that and let my performances do the talking.

“I want to be the best I can be and become the best in the world again.

“The halo will always be a defining moment in my career but I want to be remembered as the guy who gave everything, whether it be at Olympics, as a world record holder or someone who recovered from an horrific injury.

“I want to be seen as someone that never gave up, that’s how I was brought up, it’s how I’ve been since turning pro in 1998 and it’s how I’ll always be.”