IRONMAN competitors might be the toughest of the tough but one athlete proved he has a soft centre by getting down on one knee to propose to his girlfriend after crossing the finish line.

Jay Murray had no sooner completed the gruelling Bolton Ironman than he popped the question to partner Joy Webster as she waited for him at the end of Sunday's 140.6-mile triathlon.

The 27-year-old had the white gold engagement ring tied securely into one of his running shoes as he made the nearly 13-hour journey around the course starting in the lake at Pennington Flash Country Park in Leigh.

The Horwich couple, who both work for the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association in Atherton, have been together for nearly three years.

Jay said he could not have tackled the event without his fiancée’s unstinting support over 15 long months of hard training.

“It has taken lots and lots of my time away and I have been working a nine-to-five job as well, so obviously you can’t do anything like that unless you have a supportive girlfriend," he said.

“For the whole 15 months she has been great.

"She has been insanely supportive – there is not a chance I could have done it without her.”

The trainee dog trainer had the idea of proposing at the finish line about three or four months before the event.

He added: “I wanted it to be more about her than about me – she deserves the credit more than me for everything she does.

"She cooked all my meals so I could have healthy food, because I can’t cook at all.

"I will never be able to tell her how much she has done for me.”

Jay had injured his knee in the days leading up to the race and was worried he might not be able to stand back up after he had knelt down to propose.

But he was more nervous about fluffing his romantic lines than Joy's response to his offer of marriage.

He said: “It was massively what she wanted and massively what I wanted.

"I was more nervous about getting my words in the right order and not just blurting out a load of rubbish.”

But it was a special moment when Joy accepted his proposal.

“There is an immense sense of pride,” he said.

“I couldn’t be happier.”

Joy said the proposal came as a complete surprise.

“I wasn’t expecting it at all," she said.

"I was already quite emotional, but it was lovely to have all our friends and family there at the same time.”

Jay was competing to raise funds for children’s charity When You Wish Upon a Star and Pancreatic Cancer UK.

To donate visit justgiving.com/companyteams/Jaymurray.