B.C. ultra triathlete becomes first in the world to complete 3 double-Deca races

Imagine running, swimming and biking more than4,500 kilometresfor 26 dayswiththree-hournaps and 15-minute breaks in between.

Now imagine doing thattwice in a row.

Shanda Hill of Vernon, B.C., just did.

After completing an ultra triathlon in Switzerland, the 41-year-old took aweek of downtime before doing the same race in San Felipe, inMexico's Guanajuato state, where sheclinched the top spotin the DecaUltraTri Continuous Double Deca on Thursday, besting five other athletes.

With her latest victory, Hillhasbecomethe only person in history tocompete in and finish threedouble-Decas.

The Deca exists within an extreme niche of the triathlon world, where participants go through a 38-kilometreswim, 1,800-kilometrebike ride, and a422-kilometrerun. A double-Deca, as the name suggests, is twice that distance.

According to the International Ultra Triathlon Association(IUTA),the official governing body of the sport, the double-Decarequires athletes to complete 76 kilometres of swimming, followed by3,600 kilometres of cycling, and finally 844 kilometres of running.

That's the equivalent of 20 Ironman races.

"Smart people would have stopped at one. I'm not quite sure how I ended up doing three of those," Hill said during an interview with CBC'sRadio Westhost Sarah Penton.

B.C. woman completes back-to-back 4,500 km ultra triathlons to become most accomplished athlete in the sport

11 months ago

Duration 1:13

Shandra Hill of Vernon, B.C. clinched the top spot in Mexico's Double Deca ultra triathlon. Not only did she swim, bike and run more than 4,500 km in 26 days, the win comes just one week after completing another 4,500 km ultra triathlon in Switzerland. That feat makes HIll the only person in the world to complete three Double Deca events.

Hill completed her firstdouble-Decain 2019in Leon, Mexico the first Canadian to do so.

Her second one took place Sept. 15at the Swiss Ultra in Buchs, Switzerland, where she placed seventh out of 13 other competitors.

A week after that, Hill flew to Mexico for her latest double-Deca.

'A real roller-coaster'

That one was significantly more challenging than the previous two, she said, due to thesharp bends, U-turns and blistering Mexican heat.

She said she found herself constantlyoscillating between optimism and despair.

"It was areal roller-coaster where you go from wanting to throw in the towel in one instance tocontinue going," she said.

Near-crashes with wildlife didn't help.Once, while biking, Hill almost crashed into a couple of donkeys.

"Can you imagine how stupid I would feel if I crashed again and had to go home and and tell everybody that I ran into a donkey?"

But Hill is no stranger to wildlife while exercising she'smade headlinesfor training with male Nigerian dwarf goats, who have accompaniedher whilerunning, hiking and rafting.

Homecoming

Despite having recently swum152 kilometres, biked 7,200 more and run 1,688,Hill says she still has enough fuelto brave one more double-Deca.

"I think my body would do it. If there was another one right now, I would go and do it," Hill said.

Hill also said, however, that she missesher partner and son and Vernon's Danish pastries.

"When I was racing, I dreamed about the Danish pastries from the hot bread shop in Vernon. It's my favourite," she said.

Hill is flying back to Kelowna on Oct. 28.

Back home, her partnerJacs Spence has been keeping busy, running Hill's Instagram and Facebook pages and updating people on her journey.

"The support shown by somany has been incredible,"Spence said in an interview with CBC.

"Every single day people are checking on her, sometimes there are over 200 comments.

"She gets up at one in the morning, she runs all the way through, takes ahalf-hour nap once during the day and every 10 kilometrestakes quick 15 minutes to eat and nap, and every night takes a three-hoursleep," he added.

"Many said she couldn't but she did it."

Spence is now planning her homecoming.

"Shanda wants everybody to be at the airport, so I have got a week to figure outall the logistics of it," he said, adding he might have to rent a big truck to take everyone who wants to be at the airport to welcome Hill home.