“I GET A BUZZ FROM SEEING PEOPLE PUSH THEIR LIMITS”
She’s the organiser of the epic Brutal triathlons and recently finished a quintuple Iron in a gym. So what drives Claire Smith to the finish line?
I’ve never been in a 24hr gym
before and I never will again. But last December I finished a gymbased quintuple Iron in one. It’s a clammy, unnatural environment to be in. It was torture because I didn’t know what time of day it was; the lights are on full beam and there’s loud music continually playing. My swim was 9:30hrs and the bike 43hrs but the treadmill was where the fun began. My feet were in incredible, intense pain, so I was holding the arms of the treadmill just to take the pressure off. The total 1,130km time was 107hrs and, by the end, I didn’t know where I was or what I was doing.
Sleep deprivation is something
I’m naturally good at after working nights nursing when I was younger. I only had seven hours sleep during the gym quin. Not needing, or not being limited by, the need to go to bed is really useful in ultra triathlon.
I mentally go into myself when
I’m suffering and don’t want to speak to anyone. I think about my kids, Jake and Jess, but that makes me cry. Jess has just done her first 10km. When she finished it she said, ‘Right, half marathon next!’ And I thought, ‘Oh, here we go’! They’re not phased by anything they see me do.
I used to be a lone wolf with ultras
and think I could do it alone. And sometimes I could. But I’ve discovered that a good crew – who know what they’re doing – makes a huge difference in finishing an ultra tri. When people ask me if they need a crew, I say you don’t need one to enter but, if you actually want to finish, you stand a much better chance. You develop such a strong bond; it’s as if you’ve been through a war.
I can’t ride road bikes anymore
because my back pain is so bad. I’ve never not had it. My chiropractor said the curvature of my spine just isn’t built for riding road bikes. But I’m not going to give up triathlon just because I can’t ride road bikes for more than an hour, so I use a recumbent.
If you want a McDonalds, you have
a McDonalds in an ultra. A McChicken sandwich worked for me. I’m eating more basic food now, but a curry-flavoured Pot Noodle on the run is always nice.
I’m attempting another solo Deca
Iron in May. I’ve been doing my cold-water prep in a paddling pool full of 8°C water in my garden. I go and lie in it for 20mins in a vest. My neighbours must think I’m completely mad.
I organise races that allow people
to push their limits. I love seeing athletes coming down from Snowdon absolutely amazed that they’ve finished the Brutal. That’s what I get the buzz from.
“I’ve been doing cold-water prep in an 8°C paddling pool”