Thirty-six-year-old Danish triathlete Rasmus Henning will compete in his last professional race at the 2012 Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii on 13 October.
This will be the end of a pro career that has lasted for 13 years among the world's best triathletes in both ITU and long-distance racing.
"This is a decision that has grown on me during this season and was finally decided within the last weeks since we returned to Denmark this summer after almost two years living at the sports resort Playitas on the Canary Island Fuerteventura.
"I have been in elite sports for 25 years and have enjoyed much success and I have drawn great experiences from this sport I love. But everything has a price and these past few years I have too often had to let down primarily my family in order to pursue my own goals as an athlete.
"Now feels like the right time to say goodbye to this beautiful sport on the highest level. I have had a great season with three wins, among them a great win in Abu Dhabi in March, plus wins in the Half Challenge Fuerteventura and Ironman 70.3 Calgary.
"A podium in Hawaii has been a dream since the 2009 season, but I have yet to break the Kona code and will give it one last try this October" Rasmus Henning says.
The 36-year-old has also felt the 25 years of hard training on his body and wants to stop racing before he does severe damage to his physique other than those calculated risks every high performance athlete takes.
"The last few years I have felt how my body has begun to struggle with the hard work I've put it through and I have had a lot of problems with my feet and knees the last seasons. It makes you think about the future and that you want to be able to plays sports with friends and family and also be active for the rest of your life, and for me it does not make sense anymore to ignore the signals from my body. You can accept a certain amount of pain and physical problems as a pro athlete in the pursuit of your dreams but I want to stay healthy after my career, too. The balance is just not right anymore."
Rasmus Henning travels to Kona on 1 October in pursuit of a good result in Hawaii.
