Run Robbins, run, run, run

Thatcham athlete Teresa Robbins completed the Ironman 70.3 World Championships in St George, Utah – all while running with a broken toe.

Robbins completed the 1,900m swim, 56 mile bike ride and half marathon run in less than six hours despite breaking her big toe in the water towards the beginning of the race.

The 50-year-old, who was also recovering from a stress fracture in her leg, only started running regularly a decade ago when she joined Tadley Runners.

She completed the Newbury Triathlon in 2017 and qualified for the World Championships in France in 2019 but rather than take some time to rest, she’s determined to have another crack at the event next year in Lahti, Finland.

“I was in a lot of pain which obviously didn’t help with my time, but it was a wonderful experience and I’m so glad I did it,” Robbins said.

“The swim was cold, three or four degrees, and it was a lot more difficult with a broken toe.

“The bike course was incredible, it was so scenic.

“Bike shoes are quite rigid so my toe wasn’t bothering me too much, I actually overtook 100 people in my category and was up in 27th.

“When I got to the run it was just a case of managing pain, running uphill was really painful.

“I ended up finishing 74th in my age category out of 270-odd, all things considered I’m pretty chuffed.

“I got through the pain with adrenaline, there was no way I wasn’t going to cross that line.

“I was very emotional, it was a brilliant feeling.

"Next time hopefully I'll be without injuries, so I can't wait to do it all again and see what I can do."