Athletes show their mettle

Meet the Ironman’s iron women.

Joy Baker and Kelly Sutherland both crossed the finish line first in their categories at the recent Taupo¯ Ironman 70.3 event – and both were surprised with their wins.

The event sees competitors swim 1.9 kilometres, bike for 90km and run for 20.1km.

Baker won the female 65-69 category, beating the next competitor by 38 minutes. ‘‘It’s a good achievement,’’ she said.

Her final time was six hours and 19 minutes, but she said she does not usually try to win.

‘‘You compete against yourself,’’ she said.

Baker said she is usually able to tell what position she’s in by the number of bikes left at the next stage, but she wasn’t sure this time.

The 68-year-old had competed in the event once before, seven years ago, and this was her first win.

As a result, she has now qualified for the Ironman 70.3 World Championships in November, 2020, as has Sutherland.

The women were two of the 76 competitors from Taranaki, which was the fifth mostrepresented region in the country.

They were among 1677 individuals and 100 teams representing 33 countries.

Both women have always been athletic, with Sutherland estimating this had been her fifth go at Ironman 70.3.

The 37-year-old won the female 35-39 category, which was her first time coming out on top at the event.

‘‘I didn’t expect to win - you never expect to win,’’ she said. ‘‘It’s a bonus.’’

Sutherland said she’s always training for something, but around three months before a specific event, she’ll hone in on it.

Her goal was to cross the line in under five hours – she crossed the finish line after five hours and one minute. But she said she wasn’t too bothered – there’s always next year.