Once Upon a Mattress

In 2005 39-year-old Belgian Gerardus Schellens quit his job at a mattress factory to become a pro triathlete. Last weekend he reeled off a 2:48 marathon and beat Raynard Tissink and Faris Al Sultan on his way to winning Ironman South Africa. “Last year I got back from a race to find my boss giving me two options." Schellens says. "He said I could carry on competing in triathlons, or carry on working for him."