coast to coast success

So (as longtime blog-readers may remember) when in New Zealand last year my stepsister Irene competed in the Coast to Coast, a 151-mile race multisport race. The stages consist of a 1.8-mile sprint, a 34-mile cycle, 20-mile mountain run, a 9-mile cycle, 42-mile kayak and 43-mile bike ride.

Last year — on a very hot day — she didn’t finish the mountain run in time and was disqualified. Organizers didn’t want people on the river after nightfall.

This year kicked some serious ass, being the 21st woman and 116 out of 168 competitors (there’s also a less-challenging two-day event). She was out there for 16 hours, 7 minutes and 20 seconds…

I hate it when people say, “I could never do that,” because it is really “just” a question of determination and training. And it seems patronizing to say I’m proud of her, although I am, because gosh, I’ve never done anything on that scale. So I’ll just say, way to kick serious butt, Ireney!

Here are a few photos:

UPDATE 11/14/06: For whatever reason this post attracts a lot of spam, so I’m closiing the comment field.