Determined Becky shows her mettle - The Stratford Observer

Determined Becky shows her mettle

Stratford Editorial 29th Jun, 2016 Updated: 28th Oct, 2016   0

STRATFORD Triathlon Club’s Becky Loftus tackled one of the world’s toughest Ironman 70.3 events on Sunday in the shape of the Ironman 70.3 in Exmoor.

Totally unsure if she would even be able to run, as a recent calf injury had been giving her trouble and with very little training over the past fortnight, she decided to just see how she felt on the day.

After a relatively easy swim due to the staggered start, she exited the lake for the long uphill jog up to transition where she took her customarily long time to get herself ready for the bike leg.

Becky said of the hills: “The bike leg was brutal, the hills just kept coming and the descents in part were downright dangerous.”




However, never one to be beaten, she kept up the pace and made it into T2 with more than 17 minutes to spare before the cut off times, leaving herself plenty of time for the run course.

On a hilly and relentless three-lap course, Becky managed her trademark smile all the way around with her customary good cheer down the red carpet.


Such is the toughness of this course, it never sells out and is only tackled by the most dedicated athletes looking for a serious challenge.

Becky managed a hugely respectable 26th is her age group, 976th out of 1,336 athletes on the day.

Becky’s times: (Middle distance – 1,900m swim, 56-mile bike, 13.1-mile run) – swim 51:07, T1 8:27, bike 4:12:35, T2 4:44, run 2:37:56 – total 7:54:49 – 26th in age group.

Advertising

Advertise with the Stratford Observer to reach your audience

Announcements

Weddings, Birthdays, Bereavements, Thank you notices, Marriages and more.

Online Editions

Catch up on your local news by reading our e-editions on the Stratford Observer.

Buy Photos

Buy photos online from the Stratford Observer newspaper.