Rhubarb Issue 12: November 2023

INTERVIEW

An interview with GRACE GILBERT (Corfe, 2005-2010) This interview was carried out in August 2023

The Ironman World Championships

G race left Teddies in 2010 and has been involved in a large number of extraordinary challenges as well as being an active member and captaining the Martyrs Hockey. Here we talk about her achievements and her latest challenge – taking part in the ‘World’s Toughest Row’ by rowing across the Atlantic.

In 2022 you won the European Triathlon Multisport Championships for Team GB, securing your place in the Ironman World Championships in Kona Hawai’i. Congratulations! Tell us about this achievement and what it entailed. Thank you! Leading up to the Ironman UK Qualifier in July 2022, I worked hard to secure several podiums in smaller races. I trained 12-16 hours a week, which worked around my other commitments. Coming third at Ironman UK secured my Kona spot. I can honestly say, toe-ing the start line in Kona Hawai’i was unreal; the atmosphere was electric and knowing you were about to embark on the world’s best race, steeped in so much history, is a feeling I will never forget. The race comprises of 1.2 miles swimming, 112 miles cycling and 26.2 miles running.The climate is hot and sticky, with brutal winds which feel like cycling through a hairdryer! Part of the run, around 18 miles in, goes through “The Energy Lab” which sits above the volcano magma chamber, so the heat from the ground is noticeably higher and you feel like you’re being squashed within the heat from the air and the ground. But it was one of the best

days. Crossing the finish line was amazing; it made every hard decision and tough training session of 2022 worth it.

You then completed the Ironman 70.3 in June where you came in third place in the Female 30-34 category. How did this compare to your other challenges? I did Ironman 70.3 (1.2 miles swimming, 56 miles cycling and 13.1 miles running) at Elsinore in Denmark which was incredible and surpassed all expectations. It is a different ball game to anything else I do, with competitors “racing” every second, clocking 1hr12 for a half marathon, so getting a position on the podium steps was awesome.

Next year I want to return to full Ironman, and race with Team GB at the Euros and Worlds in long distance.

What motivates you to continue?

I never thought taking part in triathlons would take me to the places it has, or that I would ever get “good” at it – but once I got a taste for progress and a hint of the podium it spiralled from there.

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