ON ROAD TO SOUTH AFRICA
Triathlete LeBlanc to take on world
When Nikki LeBlanc lined up at the start of her first half Ironman last weekend, she didn’t know what to expect. She was nervous and excited but mostly determined to finish the 70.3-mile swim, bike and run race.
“I was looking for a challenge,” LeBlanc, 29, said. “I’ve been running marathons and half marathons for a long time, so was kind of looking for the next thing to push myself a little harder.”
Not only did the Windsor triathlete push herself, but her performance at Ironman Ohio 70.3 landed her a spot in the Ironman 70.3 World Championships at Nelson Mandela Bay in South Africa next year. LeBlanc came across the finish line in 5:46:40, placing her seventh in her age category.
Ironman World Championships slots are open to the top 10 athletes in each age category. Ironman 70.3 athletes swim 1.9 km, bike 90 km and then run a half marathon, which is 21.1 km.
“I never thought I’d finish in the top 10 in my age group, let alone get a spot in the world championships,” she said. “It’s so surreal. I can’t believe I finished the race and now I’m getting the opportunity to go to South Africa to compete. I still can’t believe it. And, it happens to be on my birthday next year.”
After years of running, LeBlanc’s body was starting to feel beaten up, so she bought a bike and soon her interest swayed toward triathlons.
“I really love having the three sports to practice,” said LeBlanc, who works for the City of Windsor and teaches TRX suspension training at Kersey Kickbox Fitness Club. “It’s the change-up. When you run long distances it just gets hard, but having the three sports to focus on gave me a whole new challenge.”
Her biggest fear entering the half ironman in Delaware, Ohio, was the swim. She had competed in the Leamington triathlon a few months ago and even though she placed first in her age group, the swim didn’t go very well.
“I was really nervous to do it with a larger group of people in a larger body of water,” she said. “I was scared I was going to get hit or kicked, so I just had to focus.”
But she pushed her fears aside and had one of her best swims, coming out of the water in just over 37 minutes.
“I really surprised myself,” she said. “Getting out of the water was one of the best feelings for me, the finish line was amazing, but when I got out of the water I was smiling and screaming.”
After a great swim, she was set to tackle whatever challenges awaited her on the bike and run course.
“It’s funny because I’m a runner, yet the run was the most uncomfortable part for me,” she said with a laugh. “It was hot and really humid.”
For LeBlanc the highlight of Ironman Ohio was being able to race with the same athletes she trained with locally — seven others who competed and all finished.
“It was definitely one of the most challenging things I’ve ever done,” she said. “When I finally saw the finish line, I just wanted to scream ‘I can’t believe I did this!’
“I’m not an elite athlete and I’m not in the best shape in the world, I’m just an average person who just wanted to challenge myself and I was able to finish it.”