Ironman: Taupo athlete looks overseas for options

Alice Bradley's plans may be in limbo but she knows one thing for certain - she still wants to be an Ironman.

The Taupo athlete was hoping to sit back this week and bask in the Ironman glory but instead she's now looking at how to make her dream a reality and says it may involve heading overseas to race.

Ms Bradley is one of more than 1600 people who were planning to take part in Saturday's Ironman, which had to be called off due to the terrible weather. Her preference now is to head overseas to race - but plans are still uncertain.

"We're still waiting to hear what the discount we get is going to be and whether or not we'll be able to get into races that are already full. There's still a lot of questions that need to be answered."

She said Ironman officials told competitors they'd receive an emailed update within a fortnight with more details, but she said the waiting game was tough.

She'd quite like to race in one of the Canadian events in August, but said there are a lot of logistics to overcome like finding out exactly what sort of discounted entry she would receive and whether there were places available - not to mention looking at time off work and the cost of heading half way around the world to race.

If she can't get into an overseas event she may look at trying to do Taupo again next year - but whether she'll have any answers by the time entries for Taupo's 2013 race entries open she's not sure.

Entries to that event were scheduled to open tomorrow but have been delayed.

"I feel like I need to complete that [Ironman] journey now. I really would like to do it sooner rather than later, before the New Zealand winter gets a hold."

She said it would certainly be "a mission" to try and compete in another country but was looking at it as a good challenge.

"We're really in limbo. Until we know what our options are I just have to wait and see."

However she had no issue with the decision to call off Saturday's race. She said the overwhelming feeling was one of relief once she heard the news.

"I'd been pretty worried about the weather all week" she said.

"At best I thought we'd end up doing a duathlon in horrible weather. We'd hate it, the volunteers would hate it, the crew would hate it and we still wouldn't get to be Ironmen."

Ms Bradley is now looking ahead.

"The prospect of doing another one somewhere else is really exciting. It's quite a serendipitous outcome for me."

 

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