The past couple of months have been crazy. A lot of ups and downs, but I found my way up recently! After catching Covid, I wasn't feeling myself. Had a hard time with my lungs and respiratory tract. After seeing a medical doctor a couple of times, we finally got our hand on it. Got the right medication and now I am fully back and hungry to race! Luckily I had a fully packed race schedule this year, so Ironman 70.3 Maastricht and Ironman 70.3 Duisburg came right on time.
Ironman 70.3 Maastricht
Racing close to my parents with a lot of supporters is one of the things I enjoy most. As this was the first race where I was feeling better, I had no clue what to expect. My main goal was finding back the joy of racing and having fun. Both accomplished! With a second place in my age group, in a strong Dutch field, I was very satisfied. Of course I wanted to win, but taking my past couple of months into account, the result was something to be proud of. Being a competitive athlete isn't always a straight line and winning is not always possible. It was a very valuable experience for me which definitely improved my mental resilience. Something I will definitely need in the future.
Ironman 70.3 Duisburg
Three weeks after Maastricht, it was already time for my third half distance of the season: Ironman 70.3 Duisburg, a super fast well-organized race. Last year I also competed at this race. Back then, the weather was terrible and I finished in 4h and 36 minutes, which was the time to beat this year. After my struggles, I was feeling stronger by day and therefore very hungry to race again. Besides finishing sub 4h and 30minutes, another goal was to win my age group.
I'm more than happy to say that I reached both my goals: Finishing in 4h 28min, 3rd overall and 1st in my age group. I definitely smashed it with a swim personal best, a cycling personal best and a running personal best. This was the race I was craving for. The race I needed to get confident for the Ironman World Championship in Kona which is only 5 weeks from now. Time flies and I am more than excited for the next couple of weeks of training.
Road to Kona
As Kona is a dream for every triathlete, I can't wait for it to happen in real. I'm working hard to defend my title and to be able to race to my fullest. Besides training, my road to become a pro triathlete eventually is going well. Got into a collaboration with FUSION and signed a sponsorship with VinFast. Having the right support is very important, especially in such a demanding sport as triathlon. Both companies are very ambitious and focus on sustainability and therefore I feel very connected with their strategy and goals. Feeling very grateful to have added both to my team. Can't wait to be unstoppable and be boundless together!
Hope you like my update. Now I am off back into the swim-bike-run game before heading to Kona.
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