Africa Triathlon

In the lead-in to the 2013 PruHealth London Grand Final we’ve been asking all triathletes who qualified to share your journey. This week we’ve again picked some of the best from our blog to share with you, with a focus on triathlon’s role in helping to overcome physical adversity.

Rebecca Moroney - I am so excited to be representing Australia at this years world championships. It’s been a particularly tough year but my determination to qualify has been one of the only things that has gotten me through it all. In January this year, I was diagnosed with late stage 2 melanoma. It was the most unsuspecting lesion, half the size if a button, but very deadly. Amongst other obstacles, this little lesion threatened my possible qualification and my life. It put my family and kids through hell for a good period of time. I now have a new lease on life and as a result, pushed myself even harder and qualified for both the sprint and Olympic distance. I will be racing both for my country. Read about Rebecca’s incredible determination here.

Michael Robinson - On Saturday the 9th of March 2013 I achieved an 8th placing at the New Zealand Triathlon Standard Distance Championship in the 25-29 age group which gave me the opportunity to represent New Zealand in the world age group championship in London, UK. To have this opportunity is an amazing achievement, but for me, what I have managed to accomplish over the last twelve months has made it even more special. In December 2011 I weighed in at 118 kgs and struggled to run three km without stopping and then in December 2012 I put my head down and started to change my life day after day with two goals in mind. 1. To lose weight and 2. Complete my first triathlon. Click here to read exactly how Michael accomplished both those goals, and put himself on a plane to London.

Carole Jackson - I have been competing in triathlon for 20 years however 6 years ago I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. At the time I carried on until I had major flare in 2009 when I had to stop triathlon and step back from work, I had numerous medications, both oral and injection, walked with a stick and was fairly limited in what I could do. This year, help by monthly intravenous infusions of a type of immunosuppressant therapy I have continued to race. Triathlon is a massive part of my life, it keeps me going and the triathlon community is friendly and supportive. Read more about Carole’s commitment to keep triathlon in her life here.

Tracey Sample - I’m Tracey Sample. I’ll be racing in the F40-44 sprint on Friday. My road to London has been a tough one. Before 2013, the last triathlon I completed was at the world champs in Budapest, Hungary in Sept 2010.  Within a month of this race, I noticed I was getting slower at running uphill but didn’t think much of it. By Jan 2011 I could no longer cycle as I had developed an intense pain in my hip. I was given a choice by the surgeon, either have surgery which only had a 50% chance of working and a 33% chance of causing me more pain or never get back on a bike again. Find out how Tracey got back on that bike, twice, here.

Remember it’s also not too late to have your story featured. Simply email us a 300 to 500 word recap of your journey and a picture to accompany it at roadtolondon@triathlon.org. Every week until the Grand Final, we’ll share your stories with the triathlon family.