Into the life of an ultra athlete, a little rain must fall.
In the case of Vernon's Shanda Hill, a lot of rain is falling in Italy.
Hill is competing in the longest triathlon of her life, the Triple Deca in La Garda, about six hours north of Rome, consisting of a 114 kilometre swim in a 50-metre pool (which Hill has completed, like swimming from Vernon to Penticton), a 5,400 km bike ride (Vernon to Miami), and finishing with a 1,266 km run (Vernon to Saskatoon).
The rain the last few days of the race has been unbearable for Hill and the other competitors.
"Shanda is currently on her 190th hour, and the last 24 hours may have been some of the most challenging she has ever faced," said her support team on Hill's Facebook page Monday morning, Sept. 9. "Yet, knowing her, she likely embraced every gruelling second. When I spoke to her last night, it was hard to even hear her voice over the relentless downpour hammering her tent.
"The rain had seeped inside, and the humidity wrapped her in a cold that made it impossible to stay warm. She somehow managed a bit of sleep, but even that was a battle, as her makeshift rain gear 鈥� plastic garbage bags 鈥� only worsened the feeling of being soaked through."
Fortunately for Hill, the storm broke Monday morning, and she rose with it.
As of 7 a.m. Vernon time Monday, Hill had powered through 1,110 kms on the bike, leaving her firmly in first place in the women's division. She has a lead of 150 kilometres over Lia Dreghiciu of the U.S., and a staggering 364 km over Vietnam powerhouse Thanh Vu.
Hill sits fifth overall.
Her sponsors who make Hill's journey possible include Iron Heart Gym, Rancho Vignola, Monashee Outdoors, and Hot Bread Shoppe.
