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Rob Shannon ’ s a busy guy. As project manager of UWA ’ s Innovation Quarter he ’ s part of the team striving to foster enterprise and entrepreneurship on campus.

He ’ s also a world-class Ironman.

Finishing an impressive 52nd in the recent Half Ironman World Championships in Mooloolaba, it ’ s hard to believe that before 2013 he ’ d never competed in a triathlon of any distance.

“I watched a friend complete a sprint distance triathlon, which is 750m swim, 20km bike and a 5km run.  From here my interest was sparked and next thing it was me in the lycra lining up for one on Australia Day in 2013,” Rob says.

From there, Rob ’ s competitive spirit kicked in, and it wasn ’ t long until he had progressed to Olympic distance (1.5km swim, 40km cycle, 10km run) and half Ironman to the biggest challenge of all - Ironman.

“As I progressed through the distances and upped my training I became more focused and determined. There ’ s definitely something addictive about it. After I completed my first half Ironman I wondered whether I could finish a full. That ’ s how it all started.

“I self-trained for my first Ironman in Busselton in December 2013. I finished in just under 10 hours which was a pretty great feeling, and it still feels like my biggest achievement in the sport to date,” he says.

Following his performance at the Half Ironman World Champs, Rob ’ s official Ironman ranking in his age group is 9th internationally and 2nd in Australia and he ’ s showing no signs of slowing down.

“What started with wanting to simply finish an Ironman has quickly became one of my biggest life challenges.  My focus has shifted and now I want to qualify for the Kona Ironman World Championships in Hawaii, which is the ultimate race in the sport.

“Competing in the Half Ironman World Champs last month has been a huge motivator. It was a humbling experience to compete with such amazing athletes and the festival spirit was amazing.

“Qualifying for Kona is no easy feat. I ’ ve had two near misses in 2016 in New Zealand and Cairns , but each time my determination to qualify increases,” he says.

In the meantime it ’ s all systems go at the Innovation Quarter and Rob says the team are always keen to hear from staff and students with bright ideas they may have to fuel innovation.

“UWA is full of talented people with great ideas and given the Government ’ s focus on innovation this is such an interesting space to be working in right now.

“ W e ’ re really excited about a new collaboration with the BloomLab at St Catherine' s. A pilot broadening unit is one of the things we ’ re trialing and is a great way for a UWA degree to incorporate the Bloom experience and entrepreneurship , without the student having to sacrifice anything to support their enterprising endeavours.

“We ’ re looking for 10 students for next semester ’ s pilot, so if you have a student or class that you think would be interested please feel free to let them know about it. I ’ m happy to talk to them if they ’ d like more information,” Rob says.

Visit the UWA IQ website to learn more about how you can get involved in innovation and entrepreneurship on campus.