Obiter's understanding of the triathlon, gained from extensive hours of training in front of the television, has always been that one person has to go through the three gruelling stages of swimming, cycling and running.

So it must have been something of a relief to these hardy souls from Stockport firm Gorvins that the London Triathlon, which took place earlier this month, allowed team entries.

Notary public John Gibson (seated) swam 1.5 kilometres across Royal Victoria Dock, following which trust & estates specialist John Kitching (rear) cycled 40 kilometres, before senior partner George Marriott took the glory slot of running the final ten kilometres to the finish line.

They all set faster times than anticipated, completing the event in just over two and a half hours, and raising more than 5,000 for BASIC, the Brain And Spinal Injury Charity based at Hope Hospital, Salford.