TRIBUTES have been paid to a triathlete who died suddenly.

Drew Lowrie of Great Wymondley suffered heart failure in Fairfield Park after walking back from a supervised swimming session at the Blue Lagoon. It was a training session he did on a weekly basis with Team Trisports.

The 49-year-old father-of-three had been an active member of the club for the past six years and was due to compete in his sixth Ironman event in Austria this weekend.

Mr Lowrie was remembered by family and friends at a service of thanksgiving at St Mary’s Church in Baldock yesterday (Wednesday).

He had most recently completed an Ironman distance event in Scotland where he swam in the Firth of Forth in Edinburgh, cycled from Edinburgh, through Glen Coe to Ben Nevis, where he then ran a marathon.

Team Trisports coach Keith Perry said: “Most people would complete this event in a couple of days but Drew finished in 17.5 hours.

“The thing about Drew was that no one had a bad word to say about him. He was always smiling and had time for everybody.”

Mr Lowrie was born in Lanarkshire but moved to Baldock in 1996, moving to Great Wymondley in 2010.

He worked in the pharmaceutical industry in both New York and London and had a doctorate in pharmacy as well as a degree in law.

Friend Richard Thomas said: “He celebrated his 40th by cycling unassisted from John O’Groats to Land’s End.

“The mountain bike he used was barely roadworthy but he just put on a couple of panniers, planned his route and off he went.

“That was just the sort of guy he was. He was a great training partner and the most considerate, reliable, understanding best mate you could ever want.”

Mr Lowrie’s wife Jane said: “Drew was a very determined person. When he decided he was going to do something he would definitely do it, 100 per cent.

“He had a wonderful sense of humour and always had a tale to tell no matter what the topic of conversation was.

“He worked incredibly hard and was very good at his job.

“Drew had a great sense of fun, particularly when we were on holiday, away from the pressures of work.

“He loved gardening and had developed a large vegetable garden and a wild flower meadow.”

Mr Lowrie died on Thursday, June 13, and leaves his wife Jane, and children William, 12, Katharine, nine, and Charlotte, seven.