Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 118, May 2019 | Page 42

MULTISPORT
I joined TriFacTri Triathlon Club shortly after this race,
and because Chris was a part of their team already,
it was an easy transition for me. Head coach Lucie
Zelenkova took me under her wing and together we
decided to see where I could go. Lucie runs a clean
and very professional club, and I thrive under her
guidance. I also fell in love with the team vibe and
it really suited me to be around people who were
serious about triathlon. I was surrounded by people
who wanted to train all the time, who wanted to talk
about nothing but triathlon, and who understood that
this was important. Even though I was generally at the
back of the pack to begin with, the team made me
feel like an equal.
Road to Recovery
I am now six years in remission, and I have completed
multiple running and cycling races, done 15 Half
Ironman distance races, and just recently completed
my third full Ironman. This year I managed seventh
in my age-group at Buffalo City, with a time of 5:23,
and I took almost an hour off my full Ironman time,
finishing in 11:14. I am so excited to see where I
can go with triathlon, because this sport has given
me a reason to wake up in the mornings, and an
expectation for the future. It is not natural for me, but I
work hard every single day, and I am now a confident
athlete, which I never thought I’d say. I am also a
cancer survivor who loves racing triathlons.
from scratch! I have never claimed to be special and I really don’t
like the spotlight, because I am of the opinion that
there are many, many people who have overcome
bigger challenges. To me, the cancer is a part of
my past, and it has no power over me now. I train
well, work hard and race to the best of my ability. I
love what triathlon has done to my life, and I have
absolutely no intention of stopping.
The race came and went. I was ecstatic and loved
every second of my 6 hour 30 minute half Ironman!
And that is when it happened, the bug everyone
keeps talking about bit me. I felt like I had something
to work for when life seemed pointless. It was kind of
like an epiphany. There was life after death. To end this very long story, I would just like to say
that this has been a painful endurance race for me,
but I am finally starting to see the finish line. Positive
thoughts and positive actions attract positive results,
so don’t let life’s challenges get you down. And when
life hands you lemons, enter an Ironman!
Robyn in action at Ironman 2019
About one week after my first session, my hair started
falling out. I was prepared for this, so I called Chris and
asked him to shave it off. Done. Then the eyebrows
and eyelashes went and I really started looking like a
weirdo. But this didn’t bother me either. Chemo was
just something I had to do, there was no option.
For eight months, Chris was my absolute rock,
carrying me around when I couldn’t get up, pushing
me in a wheelchair to take me to dinner (which I
had no appetite for anyway), cleaning up when I got
sick repeatedly, taking all my phone calls because I
just couldn’t face another “everything happens for a
reason” conversation.
One thing I can confidently say is that even though I
had an army standing with me during this challenge, I
have never felt more alone. I was the one who had to
fight and be strong and brave. I was the one who had
to make the decision to be alive, even though life would
be different. Nobody understood. Then, after my fifth
chemo session, I made the decision to find purpose. I
put the list of baby names in the bin, washed my teary
face and realised my life was not over.
Chris and I had joined the Bedfordview Triathlon Club
the year before I got sick, and while he excelled in the
sport, I mostly did it for the company. After my final
chemo session in July 2014, I sat down and entered
Ironman 70.3 Buffalo City. This would be my first half
Ironman distance. I had never swum more than 1.5km,
run more than 10km or cycled more than 40km. I
was only cleared to start training in September 2014,
which gave me just over four months to train, starting
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ISSUE 118 MAY 2019 / www.modernathlete.co.za
Chris and Robyn with coach Lucie Zelenkova
Turning to Tri