Iron girl Harriet is off to Hawaii

Ironman UK success in Bolton earns dream world championship chance

MARATHON triathlete Harriet Chettleburgh is on her way to Hawaii after winning qualification to the Ironman World Championships through the recent UK championships staged at Bolton.

The 42-year old personal training instructor from Bradfield finished second in her 40-44 age group in Lancashire, and will now make the trip to Kailua-Kona in October.

The Bolton event was based on the Macron Stadium and involved a 2.4 mile swim in Pennington Flash, a 112-mile bike and a full marathon 26.2 mile run that took competitors from the stadium and through the town to Victoria Square.

The 2,000 strong field hit the water first but Chettleburgh settled comfrtbaly into the mainsteam to exit in 612th overall, but 16th in her division going into her stronger disciplines.

The wet extended to the other disciplines with the course drenched, and the four climbs and wind added to the riding test. “I fared OK until 80 miles when my heart rate dropped and I felt tired,” she said, but support from her family got her through.

“Around the corner at the start of a steep climb I spotted the kids with a huge ‘Go IronMum’ banner and cowbells. That gave me just the lift I needed.”

She clocked 6 hours 38 minutes 38 seconds and had risen to third in her class and 35th in the overall women’s ranks as she entered her favoured marathon.

She admitted not to having a clue as to her positon when entering the final straight and after clocking 3:39.03 for an aggregate of 11 hours 44 minutes 47 seconds, had to be told by her mother that she had finished second in class, 19th woman and would be on her way to Hawaii.

She is now preparing for the Hawaiian adventure, which coms just seven years after she took up the challenging sport and is being supported by Newbury’s Specialized Concept Store and Mark Letters.