Shanda Hill advances through torrent to achieve her personal best result in the Swissultra Double Deca Triathlon
Pain. Fatigue. Her skin is literally peeling off. And the rain. My word, man, the rain.
Bah.
None of that matters now to Vernon's Shanda Hill, who completed the grueling 2023 Swissultra Double Deca triathlon race in Buchs, Switzerland, on Friday morning, September 15.
Hill's extraordinary achievement saw her swim 76 kilometers, cycle 3,600 kilometers, and finish with an 844-kilometer run in 26 days.
His total time of 625 hours and 21 minutes shattered his previous Double Deca record by more than 20 hours.
Before crossing the finish line, draped in a Canadian flag, Hill hugged the two race volunteers holding the finish banner and then calmly crossed it, fighting back tears.
"Shanda overcame this challenge," her support team wrote beneath a video of her crossing the finish line.
"This is a remarkable testament to Shanda's unwavering determination and unparalleled courage."
To give you an example, here's what his team wrote on Thursday:
โThe torrential rain has discouraged him. She is in constant pain. The skin on her feet has peeled off and the rain and inability to stay dry have made it difficult to bind her feet. She said that where her skin has been worn down by the constant friction of running, the nerve endings rub against her shoes, causing immense pain.
โHe is also dealing with a severely injured ankle in the heel. Furthermore, his gluteal injury has made any rest impossible. The damage to her gluteal muscle is a constant and overwhelming pain. As she encounters her last night, the loneliness in the countryside, shrouded by rain, has caused her to sink into a dark place in her mind. Half of the athletes have completed the Double Deca and gone home, so she has to run alone for most of the night.
โThe rain brings giant slugs, which at night, if you step on one and slip, you could injure yourself even more. Despite everything, she keeps going.โ
Hill finished second in the women's division behind Alexandra Meixner of Austria, and was seventh overall out of 13 in the Double Deca race. As of Friday morning, there were still three men and two women on the trail.
Hill's goal entering Buchs was to beat the previous record of 633 hours set in 2019 by her competitor, Laura Knoblach, and also Hill's previous record of 646 hours.
His support team said Hill โextends his sincere thanks to his sponsors at Reimer Bros Trucking, Keith Construction and Rancho Vignola, as well as each and every one of you for your unwavering support.โ
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roger@vernonmorningstar.com
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