Shanda Hill continues to roll toward history.
Hoping to become the first person to ever complete three Double Deca triathlons (Double Deca is equivalent to completing 20 consecutive Iron-distance triathlons), Vernon鈥檚 ultra athlete began Monday, Oct. 2, in second place overall, and first among women, at the DecaUltraTri race in San Felipe, Mexico.
A Double Deca triathlete must complete 76 kilometres of swimming, a 3,600-km bike discipline, and finish it off with an 844-km run.
Her support team updated things Monday on social media, saying Hill has dedicated herself tirelessly throughout the night to cover significant distance. In the past 24 hours she鈥檚 completed more than 360 kilometres.
鈥淭he exhaustion is taking its toll on Ronny (race leader Roessler, from Germany) and Shanda as they motivate each other to consistently maintain their daily goals,鈥� wrote Hill鈥檚 crew.
Unfortunately, Jade Medders, an experienced nurse practitioner from Florida who provides support for Shanda, might have to depart from the race prematurely. She has also been assisting Mike Ward from Guernsey, who regrettably had to withdraw from the race due to a suspected bacterial infection, similar to what Shanda faced last year, forcing her out of the Deca one-day event.
鈥淭oday, Jade messaged to convey that Mike鈥檚 condition isn鈥檛 improving, and she will need to transport him to Le贸n, which is approximately a two-hour journey, to obtain antibiotics,鈥� wrote Hill鈥檚 crew. 鈥淟et鈥檚 keep Mike in our thoughts, as he is a fantastic athlete and a long-standing friend of Shanda鈥檚 who has consistently supported her.
鈥淪handa has crossed the halfway point but still has a considerable distance ahead of her.鈥�
Hill had a tremendous day Saturday, Sept. 30, wheeling 424 kilometres on her bike in just 24 hours. As of Sunday morning, she had finished 1,469 of the 3,600 cycling kilometres.鈥�
鈥淒espite the relentless pain and exhaustion Shanda endures during the cycling portion, she remains confident in her ability to complete it within the designated time frame,鈥� wrote Hill鈥檚 support crew on social media. 鈥淪he shared that she opted for an extended 鈥渞eboot鈥� nap last night, securing a full five hours of rest and setting the stage for a promising day ahead.鈥�
But, of course, things can鈥檛 ever be that simple in a race of such magnitude.
A four-foot snake slithering unexpectedly into her path gave Hill a bit of a scare Saturday night. And in the early portion of the cycling discipline, she was found unconscious in a ditch after crashing. Hill suffered only minor scrapes and bruises, and passed concussion protocol.
On top of things, the scorching Mexican heat intensifies the challenges, but the event organizers provided some respite by opening a waterslide, which was enjoyed by all, serving as a much-needed reprieve from the rigorous competition.
The current leaderboard, as of Monday, Oct. 2, 7 a.m. Pacific time, is as follows:
1) Ronny Roessler (Germany) - 2,068 KM;
2) Shanda Hill (Canada) - 1,853 KM;
3) Giorgio Alessi (Italy) - 1,347 KM;
4) Tsai Ming-Yi (Taiwan) - 1,237 KM;
5) Heide Lindemann (Germany) - 1,057 KM.
6) Mike Ward (Guernsey) - DNF.
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