Hard work pays off for Stratford Tri's Becky

STRATFORD Triathlon Club’s very own Wonder Woman, Becky Loftus, took on the challenge of the Mainova Ironman in Frankfurt, Germany.

The daunting challenge included a 3.8km swim, followed by 180km on the bike, topped off with a 42km run.

This was the main focus of Loftus’s racing calendar for 2017 and she finished in a superb time of 14.01.15, easily beating the ‘cut off’ of 15 hours now imposed in Ironman races.

Even though Loftus was elbowed in the chin during the open water swim, causing her to bite her tongue, she battled on to achieve a personal best time of 1.48.57.

The cycle route went through some picturesque German villages reminiscent of the Tour de France course, complete with a cobbled climb. Her cycle training paid off, achieving another PB of 6.49.22.

By now, the sun had risen high and the temperatures had climbed and Loftus ran her marathon partially with the aid of ice under her cap to keep cool, completing the leg in 5.00.37.