Jillian Sotto Corona (40), a Brakpan resident, won the veteran category at the Pirates 10km Road Race, on Sunday, July 7, in a time of 45 minutes 26 seconds.
She also placed 11th overall of the women.
Representing Boksburg Athletic Club, Jillian placed 12th in the open category at the popular Johnson Crane 21km, in Benoni, in Janauary, and sixth in the Slowmag.
She achieved another sixth place at the Birchwood 21km Road Race, in April, in a time of one hour and 37 minutes and finished fourth overall in the open category at the Allan Robb 15km, in Germiston, in a time of one hour and four minutes.
What makes this Sonneveld resident’s achievements even more special is the fact that she has had some difficult obstacles to overcome.
Jillian suffers daily with an auto immune illness, Hashimotos Thyroiditis, which constitutes a list of unpleasant symptoms to which many cannot relate, as well as a visual impairment known as Keraticonus.
After having 18 eye operations, with her fourth cornea transplant being done just a month ago, she has less than 40 per cent vision and is still determined to get up every day and run.
She has an outstanding history of completing six full Ironman triathlons, a multitude of other triathlons, duathlons, cycle and road running races over a 13-year period.
Jillian does not let her physical condition bring her down and will be running the Nelson Mandela Marathon on August 25, in Pietermartizburg, as her 67-minute contribution to Mandela Day.
This is just a training run to prepare her for an attempted personal best marathon time in November, in Potchefstroom, where she is hoping to run the distance in well under the three hour, 30 minute mark.
Of her recent victory in the veteran category, Jillian said: “I was very surprised to win, as I didn’t realise that I was that far up.
“It was my first race as a veteran, so it felt really good.”
Asked what drives her to succeed, she commented: “I don’t like to sit back and be lazy.
“I think the fact that I am a single mother has also made me more determined to succeed and to be strong.”
