MULTISPORT incredible to watch the sunrise while swimming in this incredible pool with harbour views .
Time , on the other hand , is the other tough factor to figure out . When a yacht has guests on board , it is standard to work 13 hours a day , every day . So , one has to find time around work and much-needed sleep . So , fitting in training takes dedication and time management . I either get up early , or do it after work , even though I finish around 22:00 or 23:00 or try fit my session in my break during the day .
Slowed by Speedbumps
During our winter season in the Caribbean , I was managing rather well to fit the training in , but then I had COVID at the end of January . I was very sick for two weeks and then it took another three weeks to get over the lingering symptoms , but even when I was better , I still struggled to climb three flights of stairs at once . I did not know how to get started again on my training , so I spoke to a friend back home and she recommended a coach , Annchen Clark from 3YO , that she had used for her first Ironman 70.3 race .
Got this ! Carla during her first 70.3 solo race in June
Catching the sunrise in port , while training in a hotel ’ s pool
Contacting Annchen was the best decision I made . She sets up a weekly plan for her athletes on the Training Peaks app , and then your workouts sync to this app and she can watch your progress . She started me off very easy , doing just a 20-minute walk or 15-minute cycle , and very slowly working my way up from there . My heart rate was still shooting up quite high so we had to be extra careful .
As mentioned earlier , I was supposed to do my first 70.3 in April , but due to the lingering effects of Long COVID , I had to give that a miss . Instead , I focused on training for the Durban even on 5 June , but about 10 days before the race , it was postponed due to severe storm damage . I was due to go back to work a few days after the original race date and did not want my training to go to waste . Therefore , my sister and I organised my own race instead , which I then completed alone on the original race date of 5 June , using the family house in Pringle Bay as a base .
When I started the swim , accompanied by a friend as well as my brother-in-law on a kayak , it wasn ’ t hard to get past the breakers , but I did struggle to settle into my stoke . When breathing , if I looked out to my left , I would get a wave in my face , but the right was no better , as the wind was coming from there . I therefore decided we would only do 1km , not the full 1.9km swim , as it was just a bit uncomfortable in the water and the swell was pushing us out .
During the bike leg , the wind was often directly head-on , blowing at 30km per hour , and twice I was almost blown off my bike as the wind gusts went up to 50km per hour , but I made it , thanks largely to all the support from friends and family along the route . By comparison , the run was much easier , and I was ecstatic to finish my first ever triathlon , and all on my own !
Motivated by a Cause
I enjoyed that first tri so much that I knew I wanted to do more races . However , I wanted my races to mean more than just the sense of accomplishment for myself , so I decided that I would combine my passion for sport with a fundraiser , and ensure that in this way , the wider community could benefit as well . This is how the CIA ( Community in Action ) movement was started , to support education through sport , and I decided to launch a campaign to raise funds for the CIA Scholarship , with a fundraising goal of R500,000 . This will provide one child from an underprivileged background a full seven-year primary school education at the Stellenbosch Waldorf School .
I chose this school , as I attended it for my primary school education . The school was started by a group of parents , including my own , and my sister , Fran , who is two years older than me , was in the first class when the school opened . My time at this school developed my love for learning , and there was never a day when I did not want to go to school . The education I received there is a large part of who I am today , as the Waldorf education model develops not only the intellectual aspect of a child , but also their physical , emotional and mental wellbeing , in a holistic way . Education is about the journey , not only the outcome , and I wish all children could be exposed to this type of education .
To raise the funds , I decided to do another selforganised , solo Ironman 70.3 race on 27 November , once again in Pringle Bay . Unfortunately , a few days before the race , I heard that winds of up to 80km per hour winds were forecasted , so we made a lastminute decision to relocate the race to Stellenbosch and use the Waldorf School as base camp . This turned out to be a blessing in disguise , as so many more people from the Waldorf community were able to support the event on the day .
Getting It Done
Race morning arrived and it brought perfect weather . My race started at 7am and the 1.9km swim was completed in the Coetzenburg Dam , with at least 20 people there , cheering and shouting for me . The mental aspect linked to open water swimming was my biggest obstacle for the race , but luckily once in the water , I forgot everything and the swim went smoothly and quickly , with me being able to focus on my stroke and speed . Three friends supported me in the water , which also helped a lot .
The swim-to-bike transition happened at the water ’ s edge and went smoothly , even though I fell over while trying to take off my wetsuit , and then I had to run
Swim training in preparation for her second 70.3 in November
Ready to get going at the Coetzenberg Dam
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