In January 2021 , when the Ironman 70.3 SA in Buffalo City was postponed at the last minute , Helé Niehaus decided that she wasn ’ t going to let her training go to waste , so she decided to tackle a ‘ home triathlon ’ in her small Free State hometown . What she didn ’ t expect was for the Smithfield community to come out to support her , nor that it would lead to a new event being put on the calendar for 2022 ! – BY SEAN FALCONER
MULTISPORT
Helé uncleats for the last time as she finishes her solo effort
“ After my run , which I did with some friends running with me , I fixed my own tube , then they loaded me back on the bakkie to go back to where I had stopped the bike leg , so that I could ride the last 22km . I knew I was not doing it correctly , and would have been disqualified in a real Ironman , but this was the ‘ Smithfield Ironman ,’ so we made our own rules on the day !”
By the time Helé was back on her bike , the weather had turned a bit nasty , and she had to endure riding from 69km until two kays from the finish in a terrible hailstorm , leaving her with a number of bruises , but she still managed to finish in less than her eight-hour target time , with all her friends still at the dam to cheer her finish . “ They stood there under the trees waiting for me , and everybody was wet through , but they stayed , and many were crying when I finished ,” she recalls .
“ It was such an amazing experience , and all that support just made me stronger on the day , but my poor dad … I don ’ t think he had nails left by the end of the day ! He was originally only going to drive with me for a few kays on the bike leg , but that ’ s a very busy , dangerous road , and the trucks weren ’ t giving me much space , so he and my husband stuck with me the whole way , on both the run and cycle legs . I can ’ t thank them enough for all their love and support .”
Dancing Shoes Always On
It really should not have surprised Helé that so many came out to support her solo Ironman effort , as she gives so much of herself to the local community . She lives on the farm with Johan near Rouxville , about 20km from Smithfield , which is about 150km southeast of Bloemfontein . In the mornings , she works as an accountant and financial manager , then at midday she breaks away to teach swimming and water safety to some 120 kids at her swimming school . ( She earned SA colours in swimming while at school .)
In the evenings , you ’ ll find her in one of her two studios in Smithfield and Aliwal North , leading Zumba and pole fitness classes . Then on Fridays she becomes the farmer ’ s wife again , including doing the books of the farm , while also keeping up her cooking skills . “ I ’ m quite busy , but it gives me a better diversity of friendships and ‘ people knowledge ,’ and I love that ,” she says .
Helé has a 20-year background in dance , having done ballet , hip hop and freestyle since school , then becoming a teacher in all three genres . However , instead of focusing on teaching children , she now focuses on adults . “ The town already had a ballet teacher , and I wanted to do something else for the community , so I stopped teaching children , as I realised there was more need to teach women . The dance class is my happy place , because I like women to feel happy and empowered . I don ’ t generate big income from the studios , as there are a lot of underprivileged people amongst the members , but they leave happy , and that makes me happy ,” she says .
Of course , lockdown restrictions for much of 2020 meant that Helé had to close her studios , and she says that had a big impact on her . “ I am privileged to live on a farm , so I could still run , swim and bike during the hard lockdown , but the studios were closed for five months , so I never saw my people , and didn ’ t know how they were doing . We survived lockdown financially , but the bigger effect on me was that it drained my soul , because I couldn ’ t reach out to my people . When we reached level 3 in mid-August , I could start classes again , and it quickly grew because more people wanted to join . Now I usually have 20 to 30 people in a class , which is huge for a small town . When I started in 2018 , I usually only had four in a class , so I am totally blessed !”
The Real Ironman Deal
With her solo Ironman successfully finished , Helé decided to keep training for the postponed real event in September , but things got off to a bad start . Just three weeks after her solo tri , she was out for a morning run when she hurt her ankle badly . “ I can ’ t explain how or why I fell . All I remember is my watch telling me that it had detected I had fallen and was injured , so was calling my emergency number in 5 , 4 , 3 …”
She had damaged her ankle ligaments , but was able to keep training and giving dance classes by using
Tears flowed freely as Helé was welcomed home by her friends
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