Kona Ironman World Champs 2019 here I come!!!

I did it!

I bloody did it!!!

One of my dreams has come true, all my ups and downs over the past year has paid off.

I really thought after qualifying 5 years ago and not making Kona due to braking my neck, I thought I would never have the opportunity to try and qualify again.

The trip to Tenby, Wales

Last Thursday Trevor and I travelled to Tenby, so I could race Ironman Wales on the Sunday.

We stayed with my team mates who some were racing too and others that were the support crew and boy, were they an awesome support crew!

Although I have only meet my team mates a few times before I felt by the end of the weekend I had known them for years (in a good way). They were so supportive, sadly Elles is coming back from injury so couldn't race but I cant thank her enough for all help she has given me throughout the season.

Craig Stevenson and Vitor, for my training programme which has kept my training spot on for Wales Ironman plus all the other races this year.

Race Day!!!

4am and my alarm went off, I think I was pretty awake anyway thinking about what was to come.

We all had breakfast and headed to Transition to check our bikes and get ready for the start of the race.

2500 competitors were all lined up along the sea front of Tenby, it was incredible to see and the amount of spectators was amazing!

The Welsh national anthem was played then we were off.........

The Swim

Although it was said that the sea was calm, there was no way that it felt calm, gosh I found it pretty choppy. Swimming out to the first bouy was carnage, it was like a washing machine, I was getting kicked , punched, but I loved every minute of it. I felt good in the swim although I was shocked when I came out onto the beech to start the second lap and they said I was leading my age group. I ran back into the sea and started my second lap, this wasn't as bad as the first as everyone had spread out. Every time I could swim behind someones feet I did to save as much energy as possible.

Coming out of the swim to the long transition ahead was hard, I think it was a 1km run to transition.

The Bike

So, the bike didn't go as well as I had planned, I got onto the course and felt flat as a pancake. Every pedal stroke just felt horrible, so decided to ride conservatively, yes it was annoying as so many men were passing me on the bike. It would have been so easy to try and push to keep up but you just have to remind yourself that you have a marathon run after. It was about 60 miles in that my legs started to feel better which was a little odd, perhaps i was dehydrated, perhaps I pushed to hard in the swim, not sure but was glad to find my legs again just in time for the run.

The Run

I went out on the run feeling pretty good, felt like I was running the pace I wanted to run at. I was super happy when I saw people I knew cheering me on, even the other spectators shouting out my name, it just keeps you going. I was feeling good lap 1 and 2, the 3rd lap I felt like my legs were beginning to not like me, but then when trevor shouted at me that the 2nd lady was only 2 1/2 minutes behind me something in my body clicked and for the last lap I was feeling great again and trying to push myself to stay away.

Once I ran through the town heading towards the finish I couldn't stop smiling, I knew I had won my age group. I ran to the finish line and high fived everyone into the finish. Seeing trevor at the end and the other team mates that came to support made me so happy. I had won! I had qualified for Kona!

I am looking forward to racing at the Ironman World Champs next year in Kona! Bring it on!!!