Ironman 70.3 triumph for Germiston triathletes

Germiston triathletes Emma Morrisse, Wendy Venter, Donald Yates, Simon Smith and Wimpie Herbst travelled down to East London, to compete in the Ironman 70.3 triathlon, which took place on January 26.

All but Yates were tackling the gruelling event for the very first time and arrived with much trepidation in East London.

The group, who have been seen out and about running and cycling on the roads of Germiston and swimming in Germiston Lake for the past six months, proved that with dedication and focus achieving their Ironman dream was possible.

All five of them finished the event and earned their medals and the right to be called an Ironman.

Morrisse, a veteran of 10 Comrades Marathons, said it was the six months of meticulous training and preparation that she put in that ensured she got to the finish line in good time.

Venter, who crashed on her bike in November, broke her shoulder, could not train for six weeks, until mid-December, and was told she would not be able to compete in the Ironman event as she had missed too much vital training, but she proved her doubters wrong, by finishing strongly on the day.

Smith, Herbst and Yates all agreed that it was a very tough event and that they are all very proud to have the medals around their necks and are already thinking about returning next year.