Triathlete Purtell powers on

I’LL make it to the moon even if I have to crawl.

This is a line from a song by Red Hot Chili Peppers, and one which triathlete Darryn Purtell (23) of Southbroom takes inspiration from.

In his sport endurance is key, so perhaps it’s appropriate.

So far, it’s been a very busy year for the youngster.

In January, he finished third in his age group and eighth overall, including the pros, in the KwaZulu-Natal Triathlon Champs held at Midmar.

“I was pretty stoked with that he said,” he said.

The standard distances are 1,5km swim, 40km cycle and 10km run.

“My road cycling isn’t that strong but I am competitive in the swim and run. I’m better at the off-road riding which I have been doing my whole life,” he said.

In March, he raced in the SA Triathlon Champs in East London, where he placed second in his age group and sixth overall.

“Things went smoothly, which came as a relief as I had a shocker at an Xterra event the week before,” he explained.

The event was held in Grabouw, Cape Town.

Xterra events are only off-road and comprise a 1,5km swim, 30km ride and 12km run.

Darryn placed third in his age group and 22nd overall. But things did not go well for him.

“I washed my goggles with shampoo to stop them from misting up but obviously didn’t rinse them out properly,” he said.

At the start of the swim, he got kicked in the face, which allowed water into the goggles.

“I got shampoo in one eye and couldn’t see properly. Everything was a bit blurry and I basically raced with one eye closed,” he said.

Despite having continued to compete, Darryn still hasn’t regained perfect vision in the eye, and will be monitoring it going forward.

Incredibly, even with his promising results, he feels he hasn’t reached peak fitness, and that this is preventing him from shedding the bridesmaid tag.

“It’s a bit of an issue. I haven’t really been training as I have had some shin splints and other small injuries. I have taken a break until I have done the JoBerg2c at the end of April,” he said.

He will be doing this race with his cousin Hayley Smith, another very promising cyclist.

Darryn is currently studying a BCom through Varsity College.