Wellington comments about her DNS
She explains her decision not to toe the line at Kona.
Chrissie Wellington explains what kept her out of the Ironman Hawaii World Championships this past Saturday.
“I started feeling slightly ill on Friday lunchtime, with a sore head and throat. I did my usual three short sessions that day but, on the run particularly, I knew something wasn’t quite right. My legs were like jelly and I was sweating much more than usual. My tired head hit the pillow at 7pm and I woke up several times during the night literally drenched in sweat, my head pounding and feeling like my throat was closing. I got up at 3.45am, had a shower, and went through my pre race routine hoping that I would feel better. But nothing improved. I knew I had to make one of the toughest decisions of my life.”
“Like all the other athletes, I invest so much time, passion, energy into getting myself in the best possible shape for Kona. I have so much respect for this race, and the toll it can take on your body. It is demanding and brutal, and competing when ill risks greater health problems. Furthermore, I believe I owed it to myself and all the other competitors to be able to give the performance I had trained so hard for. I sought counsel from those closest to me, but mostly tried to listen to my body, and what it was telling me. I said to myself, if I woke up on an ordinary day feeling like this would I train? The honest answer was no. At around 5am the decision was made. There was no going back.”
Read her full explanation and blog post here.