Swim blowto Ironman timing
ATHelite Triathlon member Pamela Young was delighted to complete her first Half Ironman event in Edinburgh last week after a traumatic swim on her way to the finish line.
The inaugural Ironman 70.3 Edinburgh is the first Ironman branded event to be held in Scotland.
Consisting of a 1.2-mile swim, a 56-mile bike ride and a 13.1-mile run (a halfmarathon), it is a gruelling challenge and Pamela managed to complete the race in just over seven hours.
Her task was made tougher by a difficult start in the swimming section at Preston Links.
She explained: “The swim was traumatic. I got punched in the head, kicked and someone grabbed my ankle.
“I got swept in to shore near the end of the course and had to swim back out in order to swim around the final buoy.
“My time in the water was only 31 minutes but it felt like 31 hours.”
Following that Pamela completed the bike ride in four hours and 53 seconds before completing the halfmarathon in 2:20.22, giving her a finishing time of 7:12:21.
She added: “I expected a tough, windy ride and that’s what I got. Thoughts of the swim and how I’d survived it kept me occupied for most of the time though.
“It was carnage with bikes and riders all over the place.
“So I was chuffed to bits that I still made it in to transition for the run in just over four hours.
“Everyone was cheering as I completed the run and I am so grateful to those who turned up to support me.
“The words of encouragement, cheering and singing kept me going.”