EMPANGENI’S Desiree Verwey will step onto the world stage when she represents South Africa at the Ironman 70.3 World Championships in Port Elizabeth from 1 to 2 September.
She qualified for the prestigious event when she finished 6th in her age group (30-34) at the Ironman 70.3 event in East London two weekends ago.
Verwey completed the 1.9km swim, 90.1km cycle and 21.1km run in 5 hours, 32 minutes and 8 seconds.
Earning her spot for the world championships did not come easy as only 100 slots were available on the day in which 2 500 athletes competed.
‘The slots are divided between all the age groups, narrowing one’s possibility of qualifying,’ said Verwey.
When she got out of the water, she was lying in 35th place in her age category, but jumped into 5th place after a strong cycle leg and dropped only one spot in the run.
More than 130 000 athletes compete in 85 races worldwide in a season to qualify for the world championships.
This year will be the first time in Ironman history that the world championships will be held in Africa.
More than 6 000 athletes will compete in the September race.
‘It is such an honour and a privilege to compete at this level.
‘I’m going to adjust my training schedule and focus solely on triathlon training with my coach Rowland Visser.’
Verwey, who has completed a number of Comrades Marathons and won numerous local Bell Big 5 Mountain Bike Series races, aims to finish among the top 50 percent of her age group at the world championships.
She trains six times a week, twice a day for more than an hour per session with her coach and then completes Bootcamp training three times a week for an hour.
‘I was selected for the KZN team that will compete at the South African Triathlon Championships in Bloemfontein in March, and then I will compete in an Ironman in April in Port Elizabeth and the Durban Ironman 70.3 in May as part of my training.
‘Being physically fit is only part of the game. Mentally one needs to be strong as it is 70% of the challenge.
‘I have never been a strong swimmer and need to up my game if I want to do well at the world event, as relying on my cycling and running abilities won’t save me when I come up against the world’s best.’
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