FAIRLAND – A local resident recently entered and completed an annual triathlon hosted in Durban.
Nombongo Matolengwe took part in the annual Ironman 70.3 triathlon, is a mammoth task as entrants need to swim for 1,9km, followed by a cycle through the city for 90,1km and lastly, a 21,3km road run. That is a total of 113,1km of energy and perseverance.
As Matolengwe reflected on her journey to ready herself for this competition, she said, “Last year this time I couldn’t swim or cycle. Swimming lessons started late last year.”
After a year of training, Matolengwe finally arrived at the start of her 113,1 km Ironman competition. She described the scene and said, “Bike check, loading water bottles and off we went to the start. At the start, everyone around me was nervous, me included. The National Anthem was sung; triathletes did not sing.”
Within no time she was ready at the start line and off she went into the swimming leg of the event. She shared a story of how she struggled with her swimming cap. “My cap slipped off while swimming and I held onto it as I thought it would be the only thing left as proof that I was on the Ironman start list.”
After a cold swim through the Indian Ocean, a 90,1km cycle awaited her. It was a windy day and road cycling bikes are light, which resulted in Matolengwe saying, “I don’t know how many times I almost fell because of the wind; I wished I was bigger.”
After braving it through this segment she reached her favourite part of the race, the road run. Matolengwe, who has run and completed five Comrades marathons in the past, said, “The running leg was my comfort zone, my happy place, where I knew my body better.” She was content with her finishing time of 7,27 hours. She found joy and fulfilment in being given a medal for completing the race in time.
Matolengwe thanked everyone involved in helping her make her dream a reality. She appreciates all the work and motivation from her swimming coach, Adriaan Goate from Aqua Athlete, who prepared her for her swimming leg. She applauded the Boskruin Cycling Group for being patient with her while she learnt the art of cycling. Most importantly, she thanked her family, friends and colleagues for the support they gave her.
