How I became the first Female Triathlete of Nepal to complete a Full Distance Triathlon (226km)

On June 6th, 2021, in the UK, I did the second Triathlon race of my life, and it was a full Ironman Distance 140.6 miles (226 km). This breaks down as; 3.8 km swimming, 180km Cycling, 42 km running, and I completed it after 6 intensive months of training in 15 hours and 13 minutes.

The race I entered was: https://uktriathlon.co.uk/events/ultimate-triathlon

By doing this I made history in Nepal when I became the first female triathlete of Nepal to do this full distance Triathlon.

According to the International Triathlon Association rule, this race has to be completed in 17 hours or less. There are Cut off times for Swimming, Cycling and Running and these are;

· Swimming is 2 hours 30 min.

· Cycling is 8 hours.

· Running is 6 hours 30 min.

My timing for Swimming was 1 hour 56 min which was almost exactly as I planned, Cycling was 7 hours 12 min which was 12 min slower than I planned and Running took me 5 hours 48 mins which was 3 min slower than I planned. Add to this the Transition times (16 minutes) to change between each event and eat something and I had no penalties so that’s how my final time was decided. With a quicker transition times I would have completed in 14 hours and 57 minutes so I’m a little bit disappointed in myself for taking so much time in the Transitions!

I did my first Sprint Distance Triathlon on Dec 2nd, 2019, representing Nepal in the 13th South Asian Games in Nepal which is a 750-meter Swimming, 20km Cycling and 5 Km running competition that covers 25.75 km of total distance.

There are other various Distances in Triathlon events which you can choose from:

· Super Sprint Triathlon Distance 400-meter Swim, 10km Bike, 2.5km Run.

· Sprint Triathlon Distance 750-meter Swim, 20 km Bike, 5 km Run

· Standard or Olympic Triathlon Distance 1500-meter Swim, 40km Bike, 10km Run.

· 70.3 or Half Ironman Triathlon Distance 1900-meter Swim, 90km Bike, 21km Run.

· 140.6 or Full Ironman Triathlon Distance 3800-meter Swim, 180km Bike, 42km Run.

The absurd facts about me as a Triathlete

I was afraid of open water swimming up until November 2019!

I began learning the technique of freestyle swimming in April 2019 from my fellow triathletes of the APF (Armed Police Force) for the preparation of the National Games. I was a Contract Player for the APF, and I couldn’t participate in Triathlon as I got panicked in open water swimming in Phewa Lake a day before race. So, I took part in Duathlon instead and came in Second position. Before this date I only used to swim breaststroke for fun but now I could swim front crawl and it was just a matter of taking the time to get used to being in deep, open water.

The majority of Triathletes take a step-by-step approach by completing races in various short distance races before they try to do a Full Distance Triathlon. However, I knew that time was an issue for me, and I wasn’t getting any younger so I went directly from the South Asian Games Sprint Triathlon to a full Iron Man distance Triathlon.

I did an internet search for FREE training plans and I found a link to "MyProCoach" which turned out to be brilliant for me! They not only provided me with a training plan all the way up to my race but they were also available by email to answer my questions and to give me advice. I can't thank them enough!

My training began when my family moved to UK in Dec 2020. It was a full lockdown in the UK because of the Corona Virus and we didn’t know the new city or the places for cycling and cycling clubs were closed. So, I did my 100 % training of cycling indoors using my Roller. I Didn’t make training friends for cycling because of the Corona restrictions. I didn’t go out for a long ride by myself for a single day because I was bad in navigation and living in a new city. I only went up to the city which was 3 km away from our house to a bike shop by cycle a few times for bike checkups. For training I had to cycle from 1 hour a day to 5 hours a day every week which I did all just on the roller.

For Running, there were beautiful places around. I could explore new places every time in our neighborhood until I found a beautiful horse ranch where I could run a lap in 30 min. So, it became my favorite place to run, depending upon my training schedule, I could run 2 laps a day to 5 laps a day. Most of the days were cold, sometimes very windy, snowfall and rain. The 6 months of winter in UK made me more tough from inside. We just started to have warmer days in June.

Swimming pools opened in the UK from April the 12th. Before that it was closed in lockdown. The pools opening times were from 8:30pm to 9:30pm in weekdays except on Fridays when it was open for 2 hours. It was a heated pool. I was glad that at least I was swimming in water, but I needed to swim in open water for the race and the outside temperature of river and lake water was less than 10 degrees centigrade. In February, I requested my husband to try and go in one river to swim. It was 7 degrees Centigrade and dipping my head in the water was too cold, I could barely do a few strokes with my head inside the water. We ordered a neoprene head cap for swimming. I was told by other triathletes that swimming in such cold water will do no benefit to a triathlete. Another option was to go in lakes, but they were closed. It was a case of “New country New rules,” so I waited till May to find a nearby lake which was open for swimming. We found Eastleigh Lake but couldn’t swim because we must become a member first and book it before, and each session was an hour swim session twice a week, and each session was charged for. We would drive to the lake with our children, most of the time it was raining so the children and my husband stayed in the heated car waiting for me to finish. I was on the other hand swimming in 12 degrees to 15 degrees centigrade water temperature so I would come back to the car when I finished shivering all over with chattering teeth and my husband would feed me hot soup to warm me up. I swam with "Howl Multisport" and they were very helpful in giving me advice and encouragement too: https://howl-multisport.co.uk/

As race day was getting closer and I was not accustomed with cold water and could not stay too long in cold water my anxiety level was rising day by day. To cope with cold water swimming, I had started taking cold showers daily, dipping my hand in cold water. I was supposed to dip in icy cold water as suggested by a cold-water swimmer. I tried wearing gloves in swimming, but water would go inside the gloves and made every stroke heavy. Twice I had decided to change my race distance to half distance Triathlon and wrote to fellow triathletes in Instagram and FB that I am thinking of doing only half as the water is too cold for me to survive to do a 3800-meter swim, I was afraid of hypothermia. One of them agreed and the other said the water temperature will be fine in few days’ time as lake is 6 to 9 feet deep and it will be warm to swim as days were also getting longer, drier and sunnier. I really wanted to do the full distance as I couldn’t give the same amount of time again to train with small children and having to work and share childcare with my husband. I had only one chance. Family life was highly stressful as I was highly stressed all the time. The week before my race things were so tense at home that my husband left with the children for few days for holiday without me to get away and not have to be around me in my pre-race anxiety.

Two days before the race we left to drive to the race venue and camp with children. It took us 6 hours to drive the 3 hours route as everybody was on the road for holidays in Half term. The camping venue was delightful, and we had one of our big Base Camp tents that we used to use on expeditions in Nepal. On Saturday I went to swim in the lake, the temperature was a perfect 18 degrees. We then went to check the cycle route in our car. It was beautiful and clearly marked so I knew I wouldn’t get lost which really helped to settle my mind. Later that day the children and my husband spent time in the lake swimming and my son Percy who is 6 swam across the lake and back with my husband Dan, maybe Percy will take after me! It was a beautiful sight to see my family with our children having such a nice time around the lake and playing in the water. I attended the briefing at 3 pm and the Race Organizer explained about many rules and penalties. With my fellow triathlete’s I then checked the cycle hanging rack and mount / dismount transition locations etc.

The night before the race my heart was beating faster and until the morning 5 am when our alarms were set to get up I don’t think I slept! Mostly I spent the night wondering, should I wear a gillet for cycling and carry a raincoat and for running should I wear a windproof, should I wear extra shorts on top of my tri suit and repeatedly I kept visualizing what I should do step by step in my transition so that I don’t get penalty and don’t forget what I need to take with me. I had to remember to do essential tasks like fasten the elastic number plate around my waist, buckle up my helmet first before touching the cycle to avoid getting penalties. The weather forecast said there was a 40-60% chance of rain through the race day and the whole night before the race it was raining.

At 5am when we got up the children were still fast asleep, so Dan decided to not wake the children and let them sleep in the car and after cooking me breakfast on our camping gas stove Dan drove the car to drop me to the race venue at 6 am. It was too cold, and I was dreading putting in my wetsuit which was still damp from the day before. I was still wondering if it was raining, would the race get cancelled?

I had mentally prepared for the race day. Strategically my plan was:

1. Swimming I will be able to do in 3min/100meter, 1 hours 54min as I get cramp in leg in long swimming, I wanted to do it slowly.

2. Cycling I wanted to do between 25 to 30 km/hour which will take me 6 to 7 hours.

3. For running not slower than 40 min per 5km which is 5 hours and 45 minutes.

These I planned to do in a Zone 2 heart rate, which is slightly above my comfortable pace, but never having done all these together on the same day I had decided I would just have to see how it goes!

On the race day, it took me 1 hour 56 min for the swim, at the beginning of the swim my goggles were leaking, and I realized I had put my goggles eye caps over my swim cap which broke the suction and was causing the leak, so I stopped three times to fix it and it was fine later on.

When I came out of the water after the swim my husband and kids were at the exit point to cheer me which really helped with my motivation. The first transition took me 11 min 51 seconds, I was eating a sandwich and wearing layers because it was a cold day. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw how people were wearing sleeveless tri-suits!

My new (second hand) Carbon Fiber bike performed superbly well. I didn’t push hard in the bike section in order to save my legs for running. I was ready if I had puncture and had done a few practices in my training days. I carried tools and spares including a CO2 cylinder to inflate the tire quickly. It took me 7 hours and 12 mins for the bike section. At the beginning of the ride, I had to stop to put the chain from small chainring to big chain ring with my hand as the gear didn’t work but later during the race the gear worked perfectly. I stopped a few times in feeding zones for water and food. I had carried 4 bottles of water on my bike so that I wouldn’t have to stop in feeding zones, but my bottle fell off from the cage in a slightly bumpy road section, so I had to stop for water and was making sure I am eating enough to be ready for the running section, as I get stomach ache if I eat during running. During the cycling, my nutrition was: Gel, High5 Powder Carbohydrate mixed with water and Power bars. At the end of the Cycling section my husband and kids were again at the transition point to cheer me on and take photographs. It really helps knowing that you have people there to support you and to cheer for you!

I had planned to finish the running in 5 hours 45 min, and I actually finished in 5 hours 48 min. Definitely the running was the most difficult part. With around 14 km left to finish, I was starting to feel dizzy. I walked but it wasn’t helping. I was starting to think, what if I collapsed and was pulled out of the race just when its not long before finishing? I knew I never wanted to withdraw from the race and I was scared that my body couldn’t keep up with my determination. I thought, I must be overdosed with caffeinated gels, bars and drinks I was taking the whole day. So, I went to the toilet by the run course then felt slightly better. Then I didn’t stop running the rest of the way, thinking about my little children, 3 years and 6 years old who are waiting for me in the finish line. Finally, I came into the last 100 meters and my family were waiting for me just before the finish line, so that my two children could hold my hands and run with me the last 50 meters.

It was a moment of victory! The end of my race anxiety! A moment where history was made for Nepal. A moment where the first Nepali female, also a mother of two completed a full distance Triathlon. I felt very proud and the Announcer at the finish line told everyone who I was and what my achievement was (My husband Dan had told him before I finished).

When they put that Race Finisher Medal around my neck at the finish line, I felt such a flood of emotions and relief. After 6 months of intensive preparation, I had achieved my goal!

The night after the race was too painful. I couldn’t move below my waist and the pain reminded me of my post cesarean section operation for both our children’s birth. I was shivering with cold too in our tent where we camped, and it was raining. Next morning, with the help of Dan I was able to walk, and I was so impressed with how much my body worked and how quickly I was recovering as well.

This journey has been especially hard for Dan with me. I know any other man would have divorced me. The training and time away from family and the mental stress I was under pushed our marriage right to the limit. I know now how great he is and how much he loves me because he has supported me all the way through to completing this goal and making a new record for Nepali women. Now I want to make an effort to repay him and my family for all they have been through along my journey. I look at where my life is now with two beautiful children, a husband who loves and supports me and a sense of purpose and fulfillment in my life, and I realize just how lucky a girl I am!

My Instagram account is: http://instagram.com/nirjalatamrakar