Anyone can take on a triathlon – as these everyday heroes show!

With some expert guidance, a little training, and a lot of gees, anything is possible. Here, the latest crop of multisport converts let us in on the secrets to their success.

When you say ‘triathlon’ most people think of Olympic-level performances and pro athletes with physiques to match. But multisport is seeing rapid growth amongst novice participants.

No one is more pleased with this development than those at Discovery Vitality: “Physical activity is proven to lower peoples’ risk of chronic lifestyle illnesses, and multisport is a great way to get fit and have fun together as a family, as there are distances to suit everyone,” says Stephanie Donaldson,  Head of Team Vitality.

Discovery recently ran a competition with Women’s Health magazine – giving away entries to the Discovery World Triathlon or Duathlon, held in Cape Town in April 2016, along with 12 weeks of personal training or coaching to prepare, to five readers.

‘I had to prove I could do it’

Mpho Matsipa (36) from Johannesburg entered because her son pushed her to try new things and get outside more. “I had to prove to him I could do it. There was a lot at stake, because we wagered six-months of chores on it!” Mpho trained six days a week. “It was hectic! Cycling was the most difficult for me because I fell off so many times.”

Mpho went out to have fun in the sprint distance duathlon, and that’s exactly what she did. “The experience made me realise I can push harder and for longer, now I just want to do more. Now I am pushing boundaries that I never attempted before!”.

‘It’s never too late to start’

Another participant who was surprised by her own abilities was Molly Fabe (66) from Cape Town, who chose the super-sprint triathlon event. “I did most of the cycling on my own in the gym. I only did one training ride on the road before the event: A week before the race I got on my bike and cycled into town, with my nephew for company, and I fell badly. But as he said, ‘Now you can call yourself a real cyclist!’”

“I was very excited about achieving this goal, of finishing, and not falling. I took the challenge on, loved the journey, and I will continue. It would be silly to stop now, because I’ve done all the hard work!”

‘I’m taking back my fitness’

Rina Odhav (31) from Durban had not done much exercise prior to entering the competition. “I thought this would be a great way to get my post-pregnancy weight back down.” Rina gave the gift of life to a couple who couldn’t have children by being a surrogate.

Rina chose the sprint triathlon. “At first it was easy, then as the sessions got longer it got a lot harder! It was ridiculously hard, and I didn’t manage the full 5km run until the actual race.”

Rina finished her event and plans to continue her sporting lifestyle. “I didn’t think I would even finish, so when I did, I thought; I can do this again! It’s not as hard as it seems, and if I can do it, then anyone can!”

‘A whole new world opened up to me’

At one point Ahmed Jassat (36) from Johannesburg weighed 170kg. He entered the competition looking for motivation to continue with his weight loss mission. “This was my chance to change and I grabbed it with both hands,” he says.

Ahmed was so keen to start training that he got up at 4:30am on the first day. In fact, his trainer had to ask him to take it easy, fearing he might burn out! “Because I was up so early I met a group training for IronMan, and they invited me to run with them. Seeing all the data and graphs motivated me to keep going, and it gave me a platform to use and train my body, whereas before I only had my bathroom scale! This experience opened up a whole new world, even though the first week was tough, it soon became a way of life.”

Ahmed completed a standard duathlon. “It was amazing. I was battling at one point, then out of nowhere a guy came up and said we are running in a team and that got me to the finish. Now I am planning IronMan, then Comrades.”

 ‘If I can – so can you!’

Another reader pushing boundaries is Katie Cartwright (38), from Cape Town, who participated in the sprint triathlon despite some significant medical challenges. “I have cystic fibrosis, with 50% of the lung capacity of normal people, but my husband and friends are sporty, so I wanted to do a triathlon too. I loved the training, but three weeks in I wondered why my stomach wasn’t getting smaller – and then a test showed I was pregnant!”

In addition to cystic fibrosis and pregnancy, Katie is also diabetic. She experienced some problems with her blood sugar machine leading up to the race, and unfortunately couldn’t complete the swim. “I had to bail after two thirds of the swim leg, but I still did the bike and run legs slowly, just for the experience.”

Katie loved participating and hopes to take on more events in the future. “I could see that the training improved my lung function and boosted my overall physical condition. If I could participate with all my conditions, then normal, healthy people should too!”