Ironman dream is now a reality for the Triers' Beth

This was her first attempt at the distance and Beth completed the 3.9km swim, 180.2-km bike ride and 42.2km run in an impressive 14 hours, 21 minutes, 22 seconds, making her the first British female athlete to finish in her 50-54 age group.

What makes her achievement all the more remarkable is that just two months ago Beth was involved in a nasty bicycle crash in training which set back her training plans.

True to form though, she overcame her injuries to accomplish her Ironman dream.

Every year Ironman Austria attracts 3,000 athletes from more than 60 countries and is known as one of the most beautiful races in the world.

Klagenfurt is situated at near the beautiful Lake Wörthersee.

After swimming, the athletes bike through the scenic landscape of Carinthia and the bike course has a Tour de France atmosphere with two steep climbs on each loop. The running course passes the lakeside and through the city.

She said: “It was such a fabulous race. The people, the atmosphere, the athletes, and the course all made for a great introduction to Ironman.

“I don’t remember much of the finishing run. I know I had a massive smile on my face; I was laughing, giving high-fives to people and trying desperately to memorise the moment.”

A bike shoe issue meant that Beth’s left foot was hurting before she even did the run, but all her months of training with Shires paid off.

She trains with Tring’s Shires Triers club, which takes over Tring’s pool for swimming training on Monday nights and practices running and cycling from Ashridge and Berkhamsted every weekend.

Beth added: “I felt elated at the end. It was an amazing race and I would do it all again in a heartbeat.”

Shires caters for triathletes of all ages and abilities over distances from super-sprint to Ironman. For more details, see their website www.shirestriers.co.uk.

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