Shanda Hill of Vernon does things nobody really thinks of ever doing. Or even trying.
The 35-year-old extreme athlete pulled off another mind-blowing achievement Monday in Buchs, Switzerland, finishing the Deca Ultratriathlon Continuous – a race that is the equivalent of 10 Ironman triathlons.
Wrote Hill on her Facebook page: “Today I finished the Swissultra Deca race in 2:76:06:36, 69 hours ahead of cut off, (11.5 days) 2nd female overall and 7th woman in the history of Continous Deca ever to finish this race,and 1st ever Canadian Female to complete; it is a amazing experience. I’m grateful, humbled and in awe of the competitors and support teams here. Thank you RanchoVignola, Pro Hands massage, Ursuit and Kaiser, my family, friends and support. Thank you Canada and Vernon, British Columbia for your support! Today was amazing.”
The Deca ultratriathlon Continuous is a race covering 2,260 kilometres (10 ultratriathlons of 3.8km swim, 180km bike and 42.2km run each).
The athletes have a time limit of 345 hours (14.4 days). She was one of only three women and just 16 athletes in The Deca. The race was stopped from 8.05 p.m. until 11.30 p.m. on Aug. 18 due to heavy rainfall and thunderstorm.
She is only the sixth woman in the history of the triathlon to finish. Hill battled tough headwings on the bike and hot 36-degree temperatures on the run.
Hill raced the Quintuple Anvil last year in Virginia, a race half the distance of the Deca, and became the first Canadian female to take part, finishing first woman and fifth overall.
She heads home Sept. 5. Shanda’s brother, Kevin, is a world-class snowboard cross athlete.
Meanwhile, a handful of Vernon athletes were in the World Mulitsport Festival Sunday in Penticton.
Laura Medcalf covered the long course triathlon in seven hours, 45 minutes and 23 seconds to finish 13th in the female 35-39 age group, while Dale McAllister clocked in at 8:05:35 for 49th in the men’s 50-54 class. Erica Moser posted an 8:30:56 for 28th in the female 45-49 class.
Faye Armstrong finished the cross triathlon in 3:17.29th for seventh in the female 30-34 group, while Angie MacDougall produced a 4:10:4 for 11th in the female 40-44 class.
In the sprint duathlon, Liz Ariano was 17th in the female 50-56 division in 1:24:20.
Lionel Sanders of Windsor, Ont. won the men’s elite ITU Long Course World Championships in 5:20:36.
“I think it’s going to feel amazing once I get to reflect on it,” said Sanders, who pocketed $10,000US. “I worked real hard for this. I feel like I paid my dues. This particular one was probably one of the hardest I’ve ever done as well. As it should be. It’s been a fantastic experience.”
The 2018 Multisport Festival will be held in Denmark on the island of Fyn.