2 weeks Ago By Brendan Shykora
Vernon ultra athlete Shanda Hill remains in the lead at the South African Deca Ultra Triathlon. On day seven of the gruelling race hosted at the resort town of Gariep Dam, Hill was the first of 12 competing ultra athletes to finish the bike portion of the triathlon. "She is the only female in the South Africa Deca, the equivalent of 10 Iron distance races, and has led the men since she was the first out of the water after a 38 km swim," Hill's partner and manager Jacs Spence said on the Shanda Hill Ultra Athlete Facebook page Saturday.
Pushing through the brutal 1,800 km bike portion took 130 hours, less than six days. According to Spence, Hill is relieved to be off the bike. "The pain of just getting on and off after days of riding is almost unbearable, but she never lets up," Spence wrote.
"The last few hundred kilometres were even more challenging as the wind picked up, forcing her to fight through every pedal stroke. Imagine cycling uphill, exhausted, with the wind pushing you back after six straight days on the bike. Most people would stop.
Shanda kept going." Hill is far from finished, and she's looking to hold down first place in the race ahead of the men pursuing her. "Most of them are strong runners, and if she wants a real shot at holding them off, she has to stay ahead as long as possible.
Now, she heads into the final stage, a staggering 422 km run. Her plan? Two marathons a day for the next five days," said Spence. "She is digging deeper than most of us will ever have to, pushing through exhaustion, pain, and doing what few athletes have even thought of completing.
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