Chatter about attending the World Championship happened pretty early on. I knew that a large number of people from the Tritons were going but I did not really give it much thought until Jerry qualified in Taitung. I really wasn’t expecting it at all, but was exhilarated when I nabbed that qualifying slot in my race in Jeju! Jerry and I were initially planning to go back to Burning Man… but getting a chance to participate in the World Championship was just too good to pass up.

For those who do not know about the qualifying process, a number of 70.3 races have a set amount of slots for participation in the World Championships. For regular races, anyone can sign up and race, but for the World Champs, you can only attend if you qualify. You do this by being the first ranked athlete in your age group. If this athlete does not want it, the slot rolls down to the next athlete. I was lucky to have gotten my slot at 4th place!

I’ve always done ok in the races in Asia, but I knew that the World Champs would be a whole new ball game. I did feel a little nervous, knowing that I would be stacked up against the strongest athletes around the world, but also super excited!

The race was in Port Elizabeth in South Africa and there were over 20 Tritons attending. We arrived on Tuesday and the women would race first on Saturday and the men on Sunday. The weather was glorious! Beautiful sunny skies and cold brisk air. A few of us went on a super luxe overnight safari before the race and for a second it made me forget what we were here for! Once we got back, it was back to business.

We went to the Parade of Nations and I really did not have any idea what this was. I thought that it was a show but then I found out we were actually the ones in it! Athletes from each country found their flag and walked down a specific route to cheering crowds. I found myself filled with so much Hong Kong pride!

Strangely, I did not feel too much of pre-race nerves. I was nervous in Taitung because it was my first half ironman, and nervous for Jeju because of the horrible weather and the race guide saying the bike course was “tough”. For this race, I just wanted to have fun and enjoy the race! Luckily I did not know how horribly difficult the bike course was going to be because that would have sent me over the edge! After a pasta dinner, Jerry and I went back to our room where we watched an episode of The Office and went to bed.

Race morning! NOW the race jitters are setting in! The weather was beautiful and sunny and I really liked how I was starting at around 8 am… none of that horrible pitch black 4 am wake up like other races. I went to watch the other women start and had some down time where I rested in the sand before my time to get in line. In each age wave, 10 athletes started every 15 seconds and you run down the beach into the waves… so epic!

The water was pretty cold, and my face and extremities felt quite chilly for the first few minutes but I soon settled into a good pace. The age group with blue caps started after me and soon I was being overtaken by some of them! However, I stayed with my own rhythm and also made sure that I was sighting frequently. I felt pretty out of breath as I ran out of the water and Jerry ran alongside me to T1… best cheerleader ever.

My legs felt pretty tired as I got on the bike and the first few km were brutal. I do not remember it being so hard when I did the practice ride but noticed that it was much more windy. Soon I was faced with some grueling hills and then some super fast downhills. Unfortunately, I knew that downhills also meant more uphills on the way back! I even saw one girl get off her bike and walk it up the hill. While I was slow, I was glad that I did not have to do that. The ground was also super bumpy and I wasn’t able to stay in the aero position as much as I would have liked. I was also riding with a new saddle (I know I know) and it was definitely not the best of times. The scenery was actually insanely gorgeous but I was only able to glance quickly before focusing again on the ride. Luckily the 2nd half was much faster and I was very happy to finally hop off the bike into T2!

The run is a 2 loop course and it was awesome! The volunteers were dancing and cheering every time you ran past them and the local supporters were also amazing! I loved hearing the “GO LADIES” and “Keep smiling, you’re doing great!”. Athletes were also really supportive and ladies around me would say words of encouragement. It was such a great atmosphere and while the sun was blazing hot I could not stop smiling. As always, Jerry was there during various segments of the run course to cheer me on with tons of wooping and high fives.

In usual races I do try and get top 3, but for this race, I really was just trying not to be the last one in my age group!! Two girls with bib numbers for my age group sped past me but I slowly built up speed and passed them. For the last couple of km, I made sure to really push it because I knew that I would be so annoyed with myself if I was passed in the last segment of the race!

Finaaallllyy I see the finish line! This race was brutal and I don’t think I’ve ever been more happy to see the finish line. What an experience! The bike course was definitely unexpectedly hard but I was glad that I got to push myself on that course. I feel so lucky to be able to participate in the World Champs and to compete with the best from all around the world after just doing triathlons for one year (and half ironmans for only 6 months!) It was so humbling to race alongside such badass and strong women, and it definitely inspires me to train harder. It was also amazing to see physically challenged athletes and athletes who are over 70 years old competing! It really goes to show that “ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE” (I’ve been brainwashed by the race briefing) and that I have no excuse to slack off.

The next day was the boys time to race! I wasn’t sure about the male and female separate race days but it was actually quite a lot of fun. I loved the whole “Girl Power” and women encouraging each other vibe on the first day and now I could be a dedicated cheerleader for Jerry on his day. Jerry got stung with a jellyfish on his face during the swim but powered through like a champ and finished at an excellent time.

Every time I do a race, I am filled with so many emotions. How lucky am I to be healthy and to have the ability to do this amazing sport! And to be able to share this passion with someone I love and also with great friends and teammates. Everyone from the Tritons did so well, particularly Toby who is insane and got 7th place in his age group! Also Damian, who had a very scary health issue but did not let that get in his way and smashed this race. You can read more about his story here. Each race is different but I always leave feeling fulfilled but hungry for more. I never would have thought that I would be attending the World Championship… but I got the slot, trained hard, and gave it all I got!

Next up is the FULL IRONMAN so I know I have some work to do!