Facing a frigid swim to kick off the Ironman Coeur d'Alene race in Idaho on June 26 barely dented the competitive spirit of 麻豆社国产athlete Sylvia Jorger, who overcame the cold temperatures to complete the prestigious triathlon event.
When asked what inspired her to take on the enormous challenge of competing in an Ironman event, Jorger said one thing led to another in her sporting life.
"I started running in 2003... I did half marathons, then I got my bike and my boyfriend and I started doing adventure races together," she said.
Quickly moving up to the marathon realm, Jorger was soon competing in ultramarathons and completed her first 100-miler in 2008. It was a tough race for Jorger. "I got so many blisters and it was a hard recovery - I couldn't run for quite a while."
Still wanting to keep her fitness up, she turned to the low-impact sport of swimming, and as she had been cycling all her life, "of course the next thing to do was triathlons," she said.
"I then decided to do an Ironman because I really like going long. I'm not a fast person," explained Jorger. The Ironman event is viewed by many as the epitome of long-distance triathlon, attracting thousands of competitors to Ironman races held all over the globe.
Ironman triathlons have become known for their gruelling length and harsh race conditions.
"It's been a wonderful experience and I totally enjoyed the training - eight months of training that started in November," she said.
Competing in her first Ironman on June 26, she said she absolutely loved it, but had her struggles during the race.
The toughest part of the race for Jorger was the first leg - a 3.9-kilometre swim in Lake Coeur d'Alene. The water was really choppy, she said, and also very cold - a mere 14 degrees Celsius on race day.
"I got that cold during the race that I didn't really care anymore about the race at that time," she said. "I just wanted to get out of the lake alive. It was just a nightmare."
Jorger held on and made it onshore a scant 20 seconds before the cut-off time of two hours, 20 minutes. "I did it in 2:19:40, which left me 10 minutes to transition and they basically just dragged me out of the lake - there were 10 women volunteers that just undressed me and dressed me. I can't even remember how the [bike] helmet got on my head."
Faced with a 180 km bike ride next, Jorger said she was still suffering from the cold swim as she climbed on her bike.
"My toes were that cold in my shoes. They actually felt broken," she said. "It took about 20 miles to even notice my toes - they were just totally numb."
Jorger completed the bike ride and there was more to come, the last leg of the race - a 42.2 km marathon run. "I was starting the third leg and it was good that I've done a 100-miler because I knew that I could endure, I knew that I could do it," Jorger said. The run was enjoyable as there were so many spectators cheering her on, she said.
Jorger described crossing the finish line as an amazing, yet bittersweet moment.
"It was bittersweet because eight months' training had gone by, and all the sacrifices you make," she said, adding that with all the training, there wasn't time to have people over or be social. She described it as a nice feeling to complete the race but admitted feeling a bit lost when it was over.
But with a plan to focus on a bit of yoga and weight training for now, Jorger is setting her sights on racing in Ironman Austria in July 2012. Her brother lives in Switzerland, so going over there for the race is a way to see him, but she emphasized, "The biggest reason is because the lake is about 25 C, so I should be OK," Jorger said with a laugh.
