THREE Horsham women have qualified for the 70.3 Ironman world championships in South Africa this year after outstanding results at a qualifying event.
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Sally Pymer, Kelly Miller and Susie Ellis all competed at the Geelong qualifier this month, with all of them clocking exceptional times.
The 70.3 in the competition name refers to the amount of miles the athletes complete in the gruelling course.
Equivalent to just more than 113 kilometres, the athletes must complete a 1.9km swim, 90km bicycle ride and a 21.1km.
Pymer said the challenge of the event kept her testing herself each year.
“It’s a challenge and because there are a few of us that do it, it makes it better and we all go away together,” she said.
“It keeps you fit and gives you a goal. If you can do this you can transfer these skills to life. You get yourself out of your comfort zone.”
Miller agreed with Pymer, saying the event kept the adrenaline pumping.
“The more you do start seeing what you might be able to achieve and what you can do, the more it makes me want to be the best I can be,” she said.
“To think I’ve gone to the world championships, now I’m focused on what’s next.”
Ellis said considering the size of Horsham and the Horsham Tri-Club, it was fantastic to have three women from the city travelling to the world championships.
“We don’t have a massive tri-club here like a lot of the Melbourne competitors so we are very self-driven and we do a lot of our own coaching,” she said.
The Ironman world championships will take place in South Africa in September.