Robbins to take on Ironman World Championship
The south-western American state of Utah is home to more than 3.3 million people, the Utah Jazz NBA team, the Sundance Film Festival and, for the next couple of weeks, Thatcham's Teresa Robbins.
Robbins has swapped West Berkshire for the sandstone of St George, an arid city of 100,000 people some 118 miles northeast of Las Vegas.
But she's not there to take in the Zion National Park or Grand Canyon – she's set to race in the Ironman 70.3 World Championships tomorrow, October 28.
It's been a remarkable rise to elite level for Robbins, 50, who only took up running regularly 10 years ago and competed in her first triathlon in Newbury in 2017.
Now, she's set to rub shoulders with the sport's top athletes – including Olympic champion Kristian Blummenfelt – a feat she'd never have dreamed possible when she first joined Tadley Runners a decade ago.
Robbins qualified for the event in France in 2019 pre-pandemic and is now set to swim 1,900m, cycle 56 miles and run a half marathon as she takes on one of sport's most gruelling endurance races.
She said: "I was turning 40 and I wanted to do something to test myself, to get active.
"I took up running and I joined Tadley Runners just before my 40th birthday, I did quite a lot of running, a few marathons, a few half marathons.
"I got to the point where I was just a bit bored of running, so I bought a bike.
"That was about six-and-a-half years ago and I absolutely love the bike, potentially even more than the running.
"About six months after getting my bike someone said to me that if I added in some swimming, I could do triathlon.
"I had a couple of lessons and picked that up and I did Newbury Triathlon in 2017.
"I actually did quite well and I was enjoying all three sports, I've not looked back since, I absolutely love it."
Robbins' hectic schedule and the need to prepare for three different disciplines means she often trains twice a day, six days a week.
"It's important to love it, training is 99% of what I do for the sport," she said.
"It's a bit like an exam at school, racing is the chance to show what you can do.
"Fortunately I love it so much, I'll miss it when I take a couple of weeks off after the race.
"It's a really social sport, I train with friends and like minded people.
"If I didn't love it, I wouldn't do it, that's the motivation."
And she's been waiting three years for her chance to shine on the world stage, having qualified before the Covid pandemic put paid to all recreational and competitive sport.
She said: "Ever since I did the Newbury Triathlon, which is a sprint triathlon, I've been looking to increase my distances and now here I am at the World Championships, which is effectively a half Ironman.
"I've had my eye on getting to this distance for some time, endurance sports seem to suit me better, I'm better at marathons than five kilometre runs for instance.
"I entered an Ironman in Vichy in France and I resolved to have a real go at it but I don't think I ever really expected to qualify for the World Championships.
"I did a lot better than I thought I would and I finished fourth from about 100 women in my age category, I got the slot and here I am."
Robbins, who is coached by Callum Hughes' Newbury-based business VeloClinic, came second in the Staffordshire Ironman earlier this year but has since suffered a stress fracture in her leg, which she expects to slow her down during the running section of the World Championship race.
"It's a little bit frustrating because I've had my eye on this event for three years now, but it's a fantastic chance to compete alongside some of my heroes," she said.
"I've not been able to run nearly as much as I'd have liked to, so I think I've tempered my expectations a little.
"There are 247 women in my category and a couple of months ago before the injury I'd have really liked to be top 10, now I think I'll be more like top 50, I'll give it my all."
Robbins is renowned for being emotional both at the start and finish line – in Staffordshire, she found herself in tears before the race had even begun.
She said: "Fortunately the lady next to me gave me a big hug, it's so emotional because so much hard work has gone into making it to that point.
"I just know that when I cross that finish line on Friday I'll throw my hands up in the air and start crying, that's probably the one thing I can guarantee."