FOUR Horsham triathletes completed one of the toughest tests in sport at the weekend, crossing the finish line in the Ironman Asia-Pacific Championship in Melbourne.
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In an enormous feat of human resilience, strength and sheer guts, Mark Pumpa, Cameron Evans, Campbell Pallot and Jack Keegan raced alongside thousands of others in three separate legs in the water, on the bike and on foot.
They each conquered a 3.9-kilometre swim, a 180.2-kilometre bike ride and a gruelling 42.2-kilometre marathon before being crowned ironmen.
Horsham Tri Race director and athlete Pumpa said it was always a great effort to reach the finish line.
‘‘We were very fortunate to be able to do it. It’s great to get out there and have a go,’’ he said.
‘‘You’re mentally drained at the end and your family is there cheering you on. It’s hard to hold back a tear. You just want to do them proud.’’
More than 2000 competitors joined the race on Sunday, with 15 categories and age groups pitting the field against their own.
All four competitors finished inside the top 55 per cent of the entire field, with youngster Keegan placing 31st in the 20-24 age division.
Pallot, 60, impressed in the 60-64 division, finishing in 12th place, while Evans and Pumpa finished 161st and 237th in their respective age categories.
Pumpa said after nine months of intense training, he was disappointed with his performance.
‘‘It was my fourth ironman and I was trying to beat my time from last year, but I woke up and wasn’t feeling that good on the morning so I wasn’t able to achieve it,’’ he said.
‘‘So my 36-week training period was thrown out the window.
‘‘There are stations out there with water, electrolytes and watermelon if you need it, but if the heat’s at you, you can’t keep anything down and that’s when you start to hit the wall and wonder if you can keep going or whether you can finish at all.’’
Despite his difficulties on the day, Pumpa said he was proud he didn’t give up.
‘‘It’s all about the last 150 metres to get to the finish line,’’ he said.
‘‘The guy on the microphone is saying you’re an ironman and it’s the best feeling.’’
He said athletes trying to crack the 10-hour mark pushed themselves towards unconsciousness in the dying stages of the race.
‘‘They’re trying so hard that they’re hitting the fence on each side and just about to pass out,’’ he said.
Pumpa and his fellow Horsham Tri members will now prepare for the rural triathlete series before tackling the Melbourne Marathon in October as a prelude to another tilt at ironman glory.
