Zululanders with iron in the veins
Zululand's 'iron men' show off their well deserved medals.
SIX brave Zululanders dedicated six months of training to complete the 10th Iro Man competition in Port Elizabeth this year.
‘One has to train two disciplines twice a day and follow the rigid training programme for the complete duration to be well prepared for one of the most physically challenging races in South Africa,’ says Desiree Verwey.
The race tests competitors in three disciplines, namely swimming, cycling and running.
Entrants have a 17 hour cut-off time to complete the race, but what makes it so difficult is to meet the cut-off times for each discipline.
The race starts off with a 3.8km swim, which has a 2 hour and 20 minute cut-off.
Then one heads straight into a 180.2km cycle marathon with a 8 hour cut-off time, ending with a 42.2km run.
The cut-off for the run is 6 hours and 30 minutes.
‘There were 2 400 entrants this year, but the support next to the roads was overwhelming, with more than 7000 spectators urging you on every step of the way,’ said Verwey.
Zululanders’ results
Mike Harcourt (third Iron Man) – 14:37:23
Camilla Howard-Browne (first race) – 13:52:25
Desiree Verwey (first) – 13:21:44
Danielle Harcourt (first) – 13:21:27
Tiaan Viljoen (first) – 14:03:39
Jan Viljoen (second) – 15:21:30.
