Shanda Hill has yet again completed a feat of athleticism and endurance few others could, or would even try.
In 26 days, the Vernon, B.C., woman swam 76 kilometres, biked 3,600km, and ran 1,688 km, clinching the top spot in the DecaUltraTri Continuous Double Deca in San Felipe, GTO, Mexico.
It took her 26 days to surpass Ronny Roesler from Germany and snag the top spot overall in the third double-deca finish, a goal she worked hard to accomplish.
“ (It is) a really wonderful feeling when you hit those goals, even though … there are speed bumps,” Hill said Friday.
Among the notable bumps was when Hill crashed her bike not once, but twice. Hill said, however, that it was the last day that really tested her mettle. Just when she wanted to the whole thing to be done she started running, hard.
“I thought, you know what, I’m just going to go until either the wheels fall off or until I finish. Fortunately for me, it was a bit of a gamble, but I gave a really good push and I’m thankful It worked out, it worked out really well,” she said.
This lesson will go into her bank of knowledge that she taps into when she needs to push through a task.
“I always go back to 2016 when I tore my quad muscle racing the quintuple, and for whatever reason, I just was so stubborn and I didn’t want to quit that I persevered,” she said.
“Having gone through that, I compare a lot of the other challenges to that pain. ‘I always think well the pain will never be as bad now as it was in 2016’ and I think it allows me to move forward and kind of build on that.”
That’s a lesson she said others could take from her personal trials.
“If I could give people any advice, I would tell them, no matter what your circumstances, push yourself outside of your comfort zone and try things that make you uncomfortable because when we’re uncomfortable I believe that we grow so much,” she said.
“It’s not always fun … but it definitely builds character and it definitely allows you to look at yourself differently, as a person.”
With this feat under her belt, she solidifies her reputation as one of Canada’s top-tier ultra triathletes and gains global recognition. During the past two months, she swam an impressive 152 km, biked 7,200 km, and ran 1,688 km.
With this win, Hill is now one of just three people worldwide who have conquered two double decas, and the only person to conquer three double deca ultra triathlons.
She’s now competed in the equivalent of 100 long-distance triathlon races in just seven years, earning her a spot in the prestigious IUTA Hall of Fame.
Hill also holds the female world record for the most long-distance triathlons completed in a calendar year.
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