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22-year-old makes history as youngest deca Ironman finisher

Can you imagine racing the equivalent of TEN Ironman triathlons?

A 22-year-old triathlete from Boulder has become the youngest woman to ever finisher a deca Ironman triathlon, according to GearJunkie.com. Laura Knoblach recently completed the Swiss Ultra, a race equivalent to ten full distance races put together, making her the youngest to ever do so in the women’s field. Knoblach says she signed up for the challenge after being “peer-pressured” by friend and Canadian ultra distance triathlete Shanda Hill:

The race breaks down as: 24 miles of swimming, 1,120 miles of biking, and 262 miles of running. It takes finishers weeks to complete.

Knoblach’s total time in the race was 320 hours, 40 minutes, and 30 seconds. Despite breaking the U.S. Women’s Record by more than 13 hours, she still finished last in the field. There were 16 competitors, 12 men and four women.

This was not her first ultra, though it was significantly longer than any race she has done before (the most being a Triple Anvil — the equivalent of three Ironmans).

Hill finished second in the field in a time of 276:06:36.