Proving that even our greatest heroes can fall, a devastating knee injury has caused Mike McRoberts to pull out of his planned Ironman race.
The Newshub Live at 6 presenter has been documenting his training for the 70.3km Taupo Ironman in March, including brutal training runs and the struggle of learning to swim.
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However, over the last few months, McRoberts says he's known "that something wasn't right".
"I've had injuries before but normally they would come right after a couple of weeks rest. But by just after Christmas I'd had six weeks off running and my knee still hadn't improved I knew it was serious," he revealed.
"An X-Ray and MRI scan later confirmed I'd torn my meniscus - the cartilage inside my knee joint."
The keen runner has been told he'll need at least two months off running, in the hope that it might begin to heal.
"To be honest, I shed a few tears," McRoberts says.
"I've worked pretty hard towards completing my first Ironman and to have to pull out of the March event was really upsetting."
His entry has been differed to the December event, meaning he'll have to wait a while before he can get back into training.
"I've found not being able to run really tough. It's been my exercise of choice for a few years now and something I've relied on not just physically but mentally."
Fans will of course be eagerly awaiting to hear how his recovery is going in time for the upcoming Three series Dancing With The Stars NZ, of which he was one of the first contestants announced.
"I'm now racing to try and be fit in time," McRoberts says.
"I've been working hard with rehab, cycling and Pilates. I've also had a procedure where your own bloody is injected back into the knee socket in order to speed up the recovery."
Newshub.
