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F1 star Button is triathlon champ too!

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ANI Washington

McLaren's ace driver Jenson Button has reportedly had another notable year competing in triathlon events although he might not be having the best year on the Formula One race tracks this year.

What started out as a way of keeping in physical and mental shape for the rigorous Formula One title battle has turned into serious hobby for the 2009 world champion, earning him the distinction of being called the fittest man in the pit lane.

In July, Button hosted his third annual charitable triathlon at Luton Hoo Estate in Bedfordshire, raising a huge amount for Cancer Research UK, and last month he finished 11th out of 1,675 competitors and second in his age group at an Ironman event in the Philippines, CNN reported.

 

This makes Button, who is seventh in the Formula One's drivers' championship with just one podium finish all season for his McLaren team, one of the most famous amateur triathletes in the world.

Earlier this month, before he jetted off for this weekend's Singapore Grand Prix, Button was given the opportunity to find out when he was pitted against British triathlon stars Alistair and Jonathan Brownlee, gold and bronze medalists at the London 2012 Olympics, in a cycling, swimming and cognitive test.

The GSK Human Performance Lab, a multimillion-dollar sports science facility based in west London that specializes in physiology, nutrition, biochemistry and neuroscience, organized an afternoon of grueling activity for the racer.

The center has forged partnerships with all three athletes and others including world number one golfer Rory McIlroy. Button is a big fan.

Button said that it has got everything that they need and it makes a big difference to them as drivers, adding that there is still so much to learn about the human body, nutrition and pushing oneself to the limit and getting the best out of oneself.

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First Published: Sep 22 2014 | 1:27 PM IST

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