Eye on Ironman 70.3
Natia primed for pro debut
Port Elizabeth triathlete Natia van Heerden aims to put in a solid performance when she lines up for her first event as a professional — the Race 2 Stanford triathlon in the Western Cape on Saturday.
Van Heerden said the race would be used as preparation as she continues to build towards the Ironman 70.3 race in Buffalo City at the end of January.
Featuring a 1.9km swim, 90km bike ride and 21km halfmarathon, the race starts in the whale-watching waters of Hermanus, continues through the Hemel and Aarde Valley wine route and culminates in the historic and picturesque Stanford village.
Van Heerden told The Herald on Wednesday her preparations had put her in good stead heading to Hermanus for the final event in her 2019 season.
“I definitely want to execute a good race, according to my plan. Obviously my aim is to win the race, but it’s not always about winning.
“I just want to get from point A to B as fast as possible and hopefully it’s good enough to win on the day.
“There will be a few strong athletes in the field, so come race day, anything can happen,” she said.
Van Heerden said she had applied for her professional licence a few weeks after claiming her maiden Ironman World Championship age group title in Kona earlier in 2019.
“Winning the age group title at Kona and doing so well overall in that race, the progression from amateur to professional was the logical step for me to take and I’ve always had ambitions of one day racing as a professional.
“Stepping up to the professional ranks, the mindset shift is not too big — what will change in the pro ranks is the quality of athletes.
“It will be much more competitive and the times will be a lot faster than that of an amateur.
“My aim is to continue to improve on my skills.
“I don’t think that I will be a top contender in my first year of racing as a professional but I will continue to make sure that I am working hard on doing as well as possible to get to the top,” she said.
Since that Kona age-group victory, Van Heerden said she had taken some time away from the circuit.
“The last three weeks have been really good for me in terms of training — 70.3 racing is a bit different to full Ironman, because there is a lot more intensity.
“So I have been doing shorter workouts with a lot more intensity. This is obviously building on the base which I already have,” Van Heerden said.
Asked if she was happy with her training, she said: “I don’t think any athlete is ever fully satisfied and we are always looking to improve.
“The main thing for me is trying to improve with every race I participate in. I am happy with where I am in my training and there are no issues at the moment.”
Having never competed in the Western Cape event, Van Heerden said she had heard only good things about the race, and had followed it for the past two years.
“I heard it is a really challenging race. I love challenging races. So I am looking forward to it.
“I believe the course is really beautiful and I cannot wait to take to the start line,” she said.