Sport
6 March, 2023
Queen of triathlons set for third world championship
YUNGABURRA local and die-hard triathlete Megan Hendry will compete in her third IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship in August as she races in the icy waters and picturesque landscapes of Finland.
Megan qualified for this year’s championships in the 30-34 age division after her performance during IRONMAN 70.3 Sunshine Coast in September of last year, she finished third in the division with a time of four hours, 28 minutes and 16 seconds.
Her extensive triathlon history began on a weekend in Yungaburra in 2014 where she decided to enter the local Yungaburra Triathlon on a whim.
Since that fateful day in Yungaburra nearly a decade ago, Megan has competed in roughly one race a month which culminated in a race record of three IRONMAN full distance and 15 70.3 races, four world championship nominations and three appearances.
Despite having a burning passion for the sport, Megan didn’t get truly serious until two years after her first race when she set herself the goal of competing in the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship held on the Gold Coast in 2016.
Now three world championships later, she is still not satisfied and already has plans to compete in the 2024 world championship in Taupō, New Zealand.
“I never saw this journey going this far having just gone out for a run that day in Yungaburra,” she said.
“It got me hooked and now it is non-stop, I already have my eyes on next year’s world championship.”
Finland will be Megan’s third time racing on the world stage after the Gold Coast in 2016 and Nice, France in 2019 – she also qualified for the world championship the following year in Utah but opted not to go due to Covid.
Megan still doesn’t feel like she has gotten her triathlon fix and is even considering competing in another 70.3 event in Germany shortly after the world championship.
Climatising will be the main focus for Megan ahead of the championship as she believes the colder climate will be one of the biggest obstacles she will need to overcome.
“I can only really get there five days prior to the event if that, so the hardest thing for me will be getting used to the cold,” she said.
“The swim I anticipate will be quite cold and I am potentially looking at using different equipment to combat that which I haven’t had to race in before.
“I am going to do a bit of research between now and then to see whether I will need to have extra equipment on the bike and run to keep myself a bit warmer.
“Race wise I am really looking forward to it.”
This year’s world championship is not the end goal for Megan as she plans to settle some personal scores with a few 70.3 races where she is not quite happy with her times and have another go at a full distance race before setting her eyes back on the world stage in 2024.
It will be another big year for Megan as she aims for two separate world-class competitions, the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship in New Zealand and the World Triathlon Multisport Championships in Townsville.
