Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 94, May 2017 | Page 38

Ma
Dare to Tri
IRONMAN
IMPRESSIONS
The Standard Bank African Ironman Championships in PE on 2 April was a huge success! For the first time ever we had live
TV coverage of the event for the full 17 hours, which was fantastic, with great interviews and virtually every finisher getting their
moment of glory on the red carpet shown on TV! This was also another successful event for the Dare to Tri team – we had 11 DTT
finishers, including eight novices, and some good times. – BY DTT COACH DERICK MARCISZ
I
n PE, the DTT team was led home by Warren Thomas in 12:34:20, a
PB by two hours! He was closely followed by our first lady, Claire Malik,
in 12:36:02, a PB by 40 minutes. In the true spirit of the Ironman motto,
“Anything is possible,” visually impaired athlete Helen Webb and guide Desi
Dickinson finished in 14:13:02, making Helen the first visually impaired
female athlete to finish an Ironman, and just 10 months after completing her first
ever triathlon at Bela Bela!
Our other DTT finishers were Rudolf van Rensburg in 13:04:35 (a great time
for our first novice), Jason Edgecomb (13:29:50, novice), Marcello Gnudi
(13:43:30, his 11 th IMSA), Nico van der Walt (14:55:48), Chris Newman
(15:12:01, novice), Melanie and Rodney Nel (our married couple who finished
their first Ironman together in 15:34:23) and Conrad Jardine (15:59:37, novice).
Well done, guys and girls! Then, a special mention must go to Shaun Matthews,
who got to the 37km mark in the marathon, but ran out of time to finish within the
cut-off. He will be back in 2018 to finish those last 5km…
First Impressions: Helen Webb
A year ago I had a goal, to complete Ironman South Africa in 2017. That is a pretty big dream for most people, but for
me it was a nearly impossible one. I had absolutely no reason to think it would be possible; in fact I had hundreds of
reasons not to even try. As a visually impaired athlete I needed a coach who was willing to work with me, a tandem bike,
and most importantly, a guide who would be strong enough to help me, but selfless enough to give up her own race to
help me. I would also need an immense amount of logistical help, as I cannot drive. Added to that, I panicked in water
and was terrified of the ocean. Oh, and no other female visually impaired athlete had taken on this challenge…
Well, on the 2 nd of April I achieved my goal and came down the red carpet in Port Elizabeth in a time of 14 hours and 13
minutes. My journey to the start was far harder than the race itself, but with the help of so many amazing people over
the past year I got there. And race day was worth every minute of hard work that I and others spent getting me there.
The most valuable thing I think I have learnt in this time has been that if you quit, you never know how close you were
to making it. The toughest mile is never the one at the end, but one somewhere in the middle when the end seems so far
away.
Second Impressions: Nico van der Walt
Ironman Africa Championship day arrives… 16 hours to finish. I am up very early, have my own routine before a race. I am positive, this is achievable. I am nervous,
anxious… Did I train enough? Cut-offs? In what time will I finish?
Standing next to the beach, water looks calm and there is only a slight breeze... wetsuit on, the vibe is super motivating, everybody has this nervous but focused look. The
Pro’s start. Can we just get going? Go! Water is cold, no waves, and then stroke for stroke, focus on technique, feeling good, not swimming too fast.
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ISSUE 94 MAY 2017 / www.modernathlete.co.za
I would like to thank the people who helped my Ironman dream come true. Coach Derick and the Dare to Tri programme
for making the training the easiest part, Desiree Dickinson for selflessly guiding me, XTERRA South Africa for my wetsuit,
High 5 for nutrition, Executive Bike Transport, Wayde from Ultimate Fitness for the use of his tandem, and Jeppe
Quondam Athletics for extensive fundraising and support.