Ironman: Wickham surprised to take 6th place

Lyndy Wickham is on cloud nine following a dream performance at Kona. Photo / Supplied

Bay’s battler shines in tough Kona conditions

Endurance athletes are generally gluttons for punishment, so Lyndy Wickham felt right at home at the Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii.

The Tauranga athlete went from strength to strength in some of the toughest conditions ever seen at the event, surprising herself with the ease with which she came home in sixth place in the 45-49 age group.

"There was an awful amount of girls who were faster than me who I caught up to and passed, which was a really freaky feeling, but I think the conditions did me a favour and probably made all the difference to the result," she said.

"Over there this year they had the worst conditions in 20 years and they had people blown off their bikes.

"I thought I must have gone the wrong way but you can't over there. I was waiting for it to turn to custard but it just didn't - it went perfectly all the way to the finish line."

Strong winds, 100 per cent humidity and searing heat made for a long day at the office - especially the 6hrs and 18min bike leg that took plenty of sting out of her legs.

"It doesn't do a lot for your time but it is really cool to have competed in those really harsh conditions, and to have experienced it and survived.

"For that course I did a PB on the swim and the run which I was pretty stoked with. The bike was obviously slow because of the conditions. My race went perfectly, I just had a fantastic day and enjoyed every minute of it.

"I went over there for race satisfaction and I got that and more. It was incredibly satisfying and I just feel ... just really, really stoked and proud of myself. It was an incredible experience."

Luckily for Wickham, the heat was not as intense as expected. Data taken at race time the previous week indicated the temperature had reached 46C, due to a combination of the lava fields and asphalt.

"It's an incredible place, with the lava fields and the heat and the turtles and the tropical fish in the water. The people are really nice and it ... was such a privilege to have qualified and to be there."

The result was an improvement on 15th and 17th placed finishes in 2007 and 2009, and is also likely to be the last time she travels to the event.

The self-trained, self-funded athlete plans on having a low-key season and is looking forward to competing in smaller races.

Ironman champs
Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii
• 90,000 people attempt to qualify annually
• field of 2187 included professionals, age groupers, lottery slot winners, ebay auction winners, disabled athletes and military slots.
• 126 athletes pulled out during the race
• 92 professionals and 625 females took part