Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 50, September 2013 | Page 20

My Goal

Driven

to Tri
Motivated not only by her great results, but also by the fact that she is healthy and able to compete in sport, Nicole Driver will head to Hawaii in October to chase down a top 10 age category finish in the Ironman World Champs. – BY NICOLE DE VILLIERS
n the 12th of October, Nicole Driver of Pretoria will line up for her biggest triathlon event yet, the Ironman World Champs in Kona, Hawaii. Only a select few athletes from all around the world qualify for this event through their local Ironman, and Nicole secured her entry earlier this year when she finished second in the women’s 25-29 age category at Ironman SA in Nelson Mandela Bay, clocking a time of 10:58:11. Unsurprisingly, she describes this podium finish as the highlight of her triathlon career thus far, and now she is aiming for a top 10 finish in her age category in Kona, but regardless of results, she says she will just be thankful to be participating. “My best friend was involved in a terrible accident last year in October and broke her neck, which unfortunately resulted in her being left a quadriplegic. The accident really made me realise how blessed I am, and that you should live every day to its fullest. I think of her during each and every training session and race,” says Nicole.

end of a working day she either has a swimming or running session – and she makes sure she is in bed no later than 9pm. “I get to bed early and follow a very healthy diet and lifestyle,” says Nicole. “The hardest part about triathlon is the training and time, especially training for Ironman distances. It is tough on your body and mind, but at the end of the day, I do the sport because I love it. I know when I cross the finish line in Kona, all the training, dedication and sacrifice will be worth it.”

Competitive Nature
Nicole’s sporting career started early, at the age of three, when she took part in horse riding and went on to represent South Africa in show jumping in her junior years. The competitive bug had bitten deep and she competed in most sports offered at her school, including athletics, hockey, netball, swimming, biathlon and triathlon (as part of a team). However, it was only in 2010 that she took on her first individual triathlon, over the sprint distance, and she took 15th position in the women’s race. Not bad at all for her first effort. Since then, Nicole has enjoyed brilliant results. After winning her age category at the Bela Bela 5150 in 2011, she had a great year in 2012, finishing third in her category at the 11Global Tri at Sun City and fifth at Ironman 70.3, then being selected to represent South Africa at the ITU World Champs in Spain and coming home sixth in her category. This year she started off with a fifth place in her category at Ironman 70.3, but what topped it all was getting that second place at the full Ironman. Now her sights are firmly set on that top 10 in Kona.

Tri Time Management
Nicole has a demanding full-time job as a brand manager for Bosch, Siemens and Gaggenau, which does make training for the Ironman harder, but she says the people around her make it possible. “My work colleagues are really great supporters, as most of them are athletes, so we all have a common interest and understand the dedication needed to be a successful athlete,” she says. “You need to sacrifice a lot of tim H[?X??\]]Z?\?H??\?????'H\?YX?][??Y\?\?\]?\?H[??[???H?YZ?]
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