the Journey SECOND EDITION

WOMEN OF XTRI 

SPECIAL EDITION: 

SECOND EDITION 

Flora Colledge 

Since Flora’s first XTRI in 

2017 she has won Swissman and 

Patagonman, came third and 

second in Norseman. In 2020 

she took on an empty 

Swissman course... 

10 

Aiming High 

Only in the world of extreme 

triathlon would anyone refuse the 

offer of a short flight or car ride in 

favour of cycling 200km solo and 

then swimming 2km to reach a 

photoshoot. 

24 

Elizabeth 

On December 7, 2018, just a week 

before I was due to race Fodaxman, 

I found out I had breast cancer and 

my world fell apart. I didn’t need to 

think about it. It was clear to me that 

I still had to race. 

48

Journey planner 

Editor‘s Introduction.......................................................................... 5 

The Year That Never Was................................................................... 6 

Interview – Flora Colledge............................................................... 10 

XTRI World Champion...................................................................... 18 

Triple Charged................................................................................. 20 

Aiming High..................................................................................... 24 

Turning Over a New Leaf................................................................. 32 

“Someone Made a Race for Me”...................................................... 38 

Serial Supporter.............................................................................. 42 

Elizabeth.......................................................................................... 48 

People Like Me................................................................................. 58 

24 

Aiming high. It can be argued that only in the world of 

extreme triathlon would anyone refuse the offer of a short 

flight or car ride in favour of cycling 200km solo across 

several steep valleys and then swimming 2km to reach a 

pre-arranged location for a photoshoot. But that is exactly 

what Nepalese triathlete Sony Gurung chose to do. 

Photo: Ayush Bista 

Patagonmen..................................................................................... 62 

Overcoming Doubts.......................................................................... 68 

Immersion........................................................................................ 74 

A Vision for Your Future................................................................... 80 

Manente – A Tribute......................................................................... 86 

RACEID Encyclopaedia Xtremica..................................................... 90 

the Journey is a magazine produced and distributed by XTRI World Tour AS Eidfjord, Norway 

www.xtriworldtour.com | XTRI World Tour is supported by Innovation Norway. 

Editor in Chief: Stuart McInnes 

Guest Editor: Caroline Livesey 

Design and Layout: Jannika Lantz 

Cover photo: Kai-Otto Melau 

Athlete: Flora Colledge 

Back cover photo: Alexander Koerner/nxtri.com 

Athletes: Lucy Gossage, Flora Colledge 

Contributors: Flora Colledge, Natasha Hagen, Sony Gurung, Jamie Ross Mackenzie, Susanne Buckenlei, 

Polly Middleton, Elizabeth Fernandes, Carlinha Carvalho, Eline Koers, Cat Macleod, Sami Winter and 

Paula Gimenez. 

Photographers: Alessandro Annunziata, Kai-Otto Melau, Endre Myrdal Olsen, Rakshak Bhusan Bajracharya, 

Ayush Bista, Jamie Ross Mackenzie, Lars-Erik Blenne Lien, Samuel Confortala, Polly Middleton, 

Barry Middleton, Márcio Neri Araújo, Mariana Andrade, Daniela Correia, Laura Mackay, Jose Luis Hourcade, 

Diego Lavin Provoste, Steve Ashworth, Max Montecinos, Koen van Meeuwen, Ido Holtkuile, Wagner Araujo, 

Colin Henderson, Mark Livesey, Matej Rumansky, , Duks Moreira, Stuart McInnes, Sampo Lenzi, 

Robert Kovalcik, James Lawrence and Kenny Lu. 

10 

The only Swissman 

is a woman. In June 

2020, supported by her 

crew, Flora completed 

the Swissman course 

solo despite the race 

being cancelled, 

earning the right to 

state that this year 

“the only Swissman is 

a woman”. 

Photo: Kai-Otto Melau 

48 

Elizabeth. And so it was, once again I prayed, and I cried a lot at 

each stage. I will never forget Dani Bertachini at the end of the Serra 

do Rio do Rastro, running beside me, shouting: “You rock, you are 

amazing, you are Fodax ” 

Photo: Elizabeth Fernandes 

2 3

LIVE THE 

Photo: Mark Livesey 

JOURNEY 

Shop at shop.xtriworldtour.com 

Photo: Alessandro Annunziata 

shop.xtriworldtour.com 

CAROLINE LIVESEY 

GUEST EDITOR 

I 

am a reasonably new convert to extreme 

triathlon so editing this magazine was 

a real journey of discovery for me. I 

started with the intention of producing 

a publication which would appeal to all 

XTRI fans, male and female, but which must 

encourage more women to get involved. 

Women are underrepresented in the sport 

of triathlon as a whole, but even more so in extreme 

tri. In fact, at ICON in 2018, there were 

only three female entrants. As I sought stories 

and was introduced to all sorts of amazing characters, 

I grew more and more certain that this 

should not be the case. 

There were numerous women jumping 

at the chance to write, or to support me in 

other ways. They were from all sorts of lives, 

a range of ages, and from all the sporting and 

non-sporting backgrounds you can imagine. 

But what struck me the most was their similarities. 

These were incredibly normal women 

with families, jobs, busy lives, health scares, 

Women 

of XTRI 

doubts and fears. But without exception they had 

an internal drive which drew them to XTRI in the 

first place. 

They were strong, focussed, tenacious, and 

carried an enormous sense of purpose and responsibility. 

Once committed to a race they were driven 

to finish despite sometimes catastrophic events in 

their lives which should have derailed them during 

the preparation. But I also saw that for many, 

pressing the entry button for their first race was 

the hardest challenge of all. After that, the finish 

was all but a given. It got me thinking, the key to 

greater female participation is perhaps tied up with 

that very first step. 

So if you read this magazine, be you male or 

female, and you find yourself with your payment 

finger hovering over the “enter now” button for an 

event that you deeply long to do – then just do it. 

What these women have shown is that if you 

complete your entry, you will make it happen. 

Caroline Livesey 

5

How do we describe our approach 

to the growth of our sport in a 

year like 2020? ‘Utvikling gjennom 

Innovasjon.’ We should never 

remain static in our development. 

As the great philosopher Gordon 

Ramsay once said “Change or die”. 

Text: Stuart McInnes 

When the first discussions began 

back in February about the 

potential for postponing events, 

none of us would admit that 

this was a real possibility. We have contingencies, 

plan Bs, Cs and Es and Fs 

because we never want to cancel 

races. The nature of extreme 

triathlon is such that when we 

encounter a problem, we fix it; 

circumnavigate it; adapt to it, or 

just ignore it. Our athletes are 

resilient and they understand that 

exact distances don’t matter, road 

surfaces may not be perfect or we 

may close a mountain to prevent 

hypothermia. None of this 

dampens the spirits of the events 

or the people involved, it simply 

enriches them. 

But when we were faced 

with the travel restrictions, extra 

safety protocols and the concerns 

of small communities, we had to, 

like other organisers around the 

world, make tough decisions. And 

so 2020, with a couple of small 

exceptions, became the year that 

never was. 

Leaving hundreds of hungry athletes from 

dozens of countries to disengage with our brand 

or our message, is not what we do. We strive to 

motivate, inspire and build life experiences. That’s 

why the XTRI World Tour was born and why it 

will continue to grow. 

STUART MCINNES 

CEO XTRI World Tour 

Photo: Annie Nyander. 

Photo: Forest Simon on Unsplash 

The year that 

never was 

6 7

Growth plans 

We continued with our plans to add new and 

exciting locations to the tour; Morocco, Nepal, 

Taiwan and the Rocky Mountains in Utah; 

working towards the 2021 test events. Whilst 

encouraging our existing partners not to lose 

faith and to celebrate the opportunity to sit back, 

reflect and improve every detail of every event. 

We know that in 2021, we will have a world class 

product, a showcase of the hard work of our 

multiple international teams. 

Illustration: Chris Wormell 

Virtu-real 

Virtual Racing is not new but it took on many 

fresh forms in 2020. But it’s the antithesis of what 

we do, or is it? We knew that many of our athletes 

could not train outside, some on full lockdown, 

some with flexibility and more with the ability to 

train outside but with no events. Thus we created 

a “not virtual” event series, MyXTRI. Reflecting 

elements from all of our race courses we created 

the ultimate remote participation challenge. This 

has been hugely popular, with athletes clocking 

up hundreds of thousands of kilometres and 

millions of metres of ascent. 

Now in Chapter 2 “The Mountains of 

XTRI”, we we will continue to develop this 

event starting a new collaboration in the new 

year with multisport greats ÖTILLÖ®. This is 

a format we believe is here to stay, pandemic 

or not. 

In a year where so many of us have 

decided that being restricted means increasing 

creativity, and that may just be the sourdough 

starter, the call to art and literature is as strong 

as ever before and our artwork project with 

English artist Chris Wormell has enhanced 

many an office wall across the globe. Now 

5 strong, they will be added to over time to 

form a complete set. 

This issue of XTRI the Journey 

magazine is entitled Women of XTRI and 

is packed full of inspiring takes from all 

angles of the tour, from female writers. To 

complete the package, it’s being guest edited 

and designed by women too. i 

8 9

y XTRI World Tour 

The only 

Swissman is a 

woman 

In June 2020, supported by her crew, Flora 

completed the Swissman course solo despite the 

race being cancelled, earning the right to state that 

this year “the only Swissman is a woman”. 

Photo: Sampo Lenzi 

10 11

You are one of the best-known 

ladies on the XTRI circuit and 

have a number of race wins to 

your name. When and how did 

you first get into triathlon, and what 

made you transition to the extreme 

version that is XTRI? 

I started triathlon when I was 28 after taking 

running very seriously for a few years, but 

with little (high level) 

success and lots of 

injury. I spent a lot of 

my time swimming 

and cross training, so I 

thought I might as well 

try a triathlon, despite 

having ridden a road 

bike clipped in only three 

times and being pretty 

terrified of it! I did a 24 

hour relay bike race in 

pouring rain in 2012, and 

I decided that triathlon 

couldn’t be harder than 

that. In some ways I was 

right, but I think that set 

the stage for me enjoying 

tougher, colder races. 

Originally I thought 

I would do best at 

Olympic distance racing, 

which seems hilarious 

now. My coach pretty 

quickly convinced me 

I was made for long distance, and as soon 

as I learned about Norseman, the idea of its 

toughness jut captured my heart. My mother is 

from Scotland and I grew up in Belgium, so to 

me, those pictures of the gray, cold conditions 

at Norseman just looked lovely! Once I found 

out about Swissman, I signed up straight away, 

with only a year of triathlon under my belt. It 

was actually my first long distance race. 

What do you look for in a race? How do 

you pick which ones you go and do? 

I mostly look for cold climates, big mountains, 

and anything wild! Somehow as soon as 

things get a bit crazy in a race, I find myself 

smiling and laughing – as if to say “look at how 

ridiculous it is to even be in this situation, oh 

well, better get on with it!” That gives me this 

sense of joy that I don’t find in races that are 

purely about speed. Also, I love to feel alone 

on the race course, so small starting fields are 

important to me. If you 

would say about a race 

“I’m not sure that’s a 

good idea,” I’ll probably 

be interested! 

How do you feel when 

you stand on a start 

line? Are you always 

confident that you will 

finish? 

That’s the funny thing 

for me with XTRI races 

– there’s never doubt 

in my mind that I will 

finish. I mean, all you 

need to do is find a way 

to keep moving forward! 

Of course you can 

finish! It’s only once you 

start to add the question 

FLORA COLLEDGE 

of finishing faster, that 

BASEL, SWITZERLAND 

doubts can creep in. 

I think every athlete 

stands (or floats!) on the 

start line with a similar thought to: “What if my 

body just won’t do what I want it to? What if it 

just hurts too much? What if I just fall apart?” 

I think if you care about the race, that fear will 

always be there, and that’s normal. So firstly 

you can tell yourself; the fear is there, that 

means I’m doing everything right. Secondly, 

you can remember every time in training when 

you didn’t feel good, but you took some deep 

breaths, kept going, and finished; that’s all you 

need to do, and you’ve likely done it many 

times before. 

Photo: James Colledge. 


12 13

What can you say about the XTRI 

community? What is different about these 

races? What are your lasting memories 

from each one and how is this different 

from mainstream races you have done? 

One thing that distinguishes XTRI straight 

away is the role that your crew plays; you are 

dependent on your supporters throughout the 

day, so that’s your own little community who 

lives the whole race experience with you. That’s 

very unique and it is magical. I’ve had the 

most beautiful times with my friends before, 

during and after these races. They’ve taken us 

to incredible places 

together. The point-topoint 

nature of most 

of the courses means 

that you also see so 

much of a country, and 

it really brings home 

the achievement. I 

remember being on 

the Swissman run high 

up in the mountains 

and some spectators 

asking me where the 

race started. I realised 

how crazy it must 

have sounded to them 

that this woman just 

running along had 

started about 200 kilometres away! 

The XTRI organisation community 

is also a fantastic group of people; they all 

have a genuine love for the sport and a real 

understanding of how to make a challenging 

course, but do it in a completely professional 

way. Essentially all those involved in XTRI 

-racers, supporters, organisers – are just 

exceptionally caring, cheerful and goodlooking 

people! 

What do you think are the qualities you 

see most often in athletes you meet at 

races, and what qualities do you think you 

have which help you do so well? Do these 

“I want to be a great 

athlete, but more 

than that, I want to 

be a brave athlete. 

XTRI gives everyone 

the chance to discover 

their own bravery. „ 

qualities come from other things you do 

in your life, or are they things you have 

developed in sport that you then take into 

your day-to-day work/life? 

I see athletes who, like myself, are looking 

for triathlon, but aren’t looking to just post a 

fast time on a flat course; they’re looking for 

a real challenge, and to really go back to the 

roots of the sport. I felt that very strongly at 

Patagonman; the organisers had created an 

extremely challenging route and you just had to 

get on with it and find a way to move forward. 

Climbing over big wooden cattle gates in the 

middle of Patagonia 

is very different from 

just hammering up and 

down some 5k looped 

course on a pavement 

somewhere. You might 

be “slower” but you 

need to stay calm and 

use all your energy to 

work with the terrain 

and keep moving 

forward. 

I think that’s one 

of the main qualities 

I have that has made 

me good at this kind of 

racing; the ability to not 

get thrown by difficult 

situations or moments when I don’t feel so good, 

but to just keep moving. In XTRI, that ability 

plays an enormous role. I see people tearing up 

the start of the bike course and then being totally 

thrown about 150k in because they overlooked 

the eating, drinking, pacing side of things. It’s 

about having that patience and knowing, at 

any point, what effort you can sustain until the 

end. I think you can train and develop that, and 

that it also helps you in everyday life. The skill 

is to not be fazed when things go wrong, but 

just think “ok, what’s the next thing I can do 

to keep progressing”. It is a very tricky skill. It 

won’t give you the short-term success, perhaps, 

but that’s the beauty of XTRI – it’s a long day, 

and you have to be ready to be strong in the last 

5 kilometres, not just the first half of the bike. 

Perhaps that is also true of life. 

How do you structure your training and 

how do you know when you are fit enough 

to race/compete/complete a race? 

My coach, Robin Haywood, structures all my 

training, and he clearly knows how to get me 

ready for the important races. My training is 

tailored to addressing my weaknesses. I don’t 

need a lot of big volume sessions, but I need to 

work on speed almost constantly, so I do a lot 

of short intense sessions. I fit it in around work, 

so that means early mornings and being pretty 

organized most days, although I’m very lucky 

with flexible working times and easy pool access. 

You have to sign up for XTRI races quite 

far in advance, so I’m generally not waiting to 

see if I’m fit and then signing up. I trust my 

coach and the training I do, and by now I have 

the experience to know what the course will 

require of me. I do think that at some point you 

just have to take the fitness you have and make 

sure that you get the very most out of yourself 

on race day. But race day won’t give a magical 

fitness boost. You have to stay calm and make 

good decisions, such as not forgetting to eat and 

drink, that will let you give your best. 

What advice would you give someone who 

is considering their first XTRI but perhaps 

does not have the confidence to sign up? 

If you are considering it, that probably means 

you’ve felt the magic of XTRI, and all I can say 

is you should definitely follow your heart and 

go for it! You find out a long time in advance if 

you have a spot or not, which gives you enough 

time to be as prepared as you can be for the 

course. An XTRI is an adventure for absolutely 

everyone who signs up, not matter how fast or 

experienced they are; that’s the nature of the 

challenge, but that should also feel extremely 

liberating! We are just a small group of people 

seeing what we can do on different terrains, and 

sharing it with friends and family, and that’s an 

experience that you should embrace if you have 

any inkling that you might want to try it. 

Triathlon can seem like a hugely expensive, 

high-tech sport, full of intimidating equipment, 

and it really doesn’t have to be. I started out 

with no gear, terrified of clip-in pedals, and did 

my first triathlon in a swimsuit with a pair of 

bike shorts over the top. I was a total rookie, I 

wasn’t a top junior athlete, but my love of the 

sport made it such a great experience. A pricey 

bike is not necessary, a fancy wetsuit will not 

make a huge difference, and bike computers 

won’t help you much in my opinion anyway! 

Often people like to know what I eat during 

a race, and are usually surprised to find out 

that it’s mostly sandwiches, chocolate bars 

and, after Patagonman, a beer downed in one! 

Don’t make it more complicated than it needs 

to be. You shouldn’t worry about the endless 

list of products and testing that is being sold 

to triathletes. None of that is necessary in 

XTRI if you have a passion for adventure. Over 

time, maybe you’ll get more into the gear and 

technical aspects, but that should never be a 

barrier to giving it a go. Triathlon is a sport that 

you can make huge improvements in through 

dedication alone; there’s no perfect body type 

or age to get started, there are so many stories 

of people coming to it late, and all of them find 

incredible abilities they didn’t realise they had. 

What question do people most often 

ask you about XTRI, and what do you 

think are the common misconceptions 

about this style of race? How would you 

convince people to try it over mainstream 

triathlons? 

People might feel that course conditions, such as 

the extreme climates and mountains, makes it far 

more difficult, and I don’t think that this should be 

a concern. Yes, you will probably be out there for 

longer, but you also don’t have to go as fast! It’s all 

about overcoming challenges step by step as they 

present themselves, and that’s a mental approach. 

I certainly wouldn’t say you need to train more for 

an XTRI than for an Ironman. I think the sense 

14 15


of achievement of crossing this terrain, being so 

close to nature, sharing it with your friends, is one 

of the most beautiful experiences you can have as 

a triathlete. XTRI is a race, but also a way to enjoy 

the fitness you worked so hard for. I hope anyone 

who is tempted feels the inspiration to go out there 

and push their own limits, because I guarantee it 

will teach you amazing things about yourself and 

your friends. 

Which XTRI are on your future hit list 

and why? 

Celtman, as my mother is Scottish, so it will feel, in 

some ways, like a “home” race, and the course 

and weather just couldn’t be more perfect 

for me. Then there is the 

Himalayan XTRI. My father 

was a climber and I have 

always wanted to go to 

Nepal. I couldn’t believe it 

when I saw that this race had 

been created, so that will be 

an absolute dream come true. 

And of course, I just want to 

do Swissman, Norseman and 

Patagonman again! 

Most memorable XTRI 

anecdote? 

This is such a tough one, 

every race obviously has 

hundreds of little moments that become great 

stories afterwards! But what really defined XTRI 

for me, and also taught me a lot about myself, 

was in my first ever XTRI, Swissman, when 

some issues meant my crew didn’t make it to T2. 

Potentially that could have meant the end of my 

day, and I momentarily considered that I had to 

drop out. But I had this decisive moment where 

I realised; I’m not injured, I CAN still move, so I 

WILL until I actually can’t get further. A spectator 

gave me their shoes, I set off holding a bottle 

I’d grabbed off my bike, and just sort of jogged 

along, making use of the emergency aid stations 

and water fountains. I was a million miles off 

my goal of a podium finish, but I found this will 

“If you would say 

about a race “I’m 

not sure that’s 

a good idea,” 

I’ll probably be 

interested!” 

inside me to do absolutely everything I could to 

finish the race. It was a bittersweet finish, but that 

made coming back to the win the next year so 

much more special. The experience gave me huge 

confidence because I knew: whatever happens, 

I can make the best out of it. So even if your 

day goes badly, you can get so much out of it for 

yourself as a person. Now I always say: I want to 

be a great athlete, but more than that, I want to be 

a brave athlete. XTRI gives everyone the chance 

to discover their own bravery. 

On a lighter note – at Swissman 2019 my 

great friend was running with me on the final 

climb, and we had totally overestimated the 

amount of equipment needed. He started the 

hike with a huge rucksack, 

fully clad in merino, after 

forgetting to eat almost 

all day. Then I arrived, all 

competitive and filled to 

my eyeballs with caffeine 

and sugar, and we set off 

really fast. 30 minutes later, 

we were shedding clothing, 

pouring out water bottles, 

and realizing we probably 

didn’t need five apples. It’s fair 

to say we both learned a lot, 

and now have a slightly more 

streamlined approach! 

Top training tip? 

Taken from my coach, Robin Haywood: “You 

start, you finish.” Don’t let feeling “slow” stop you 

from finishing any session. In fact don’t even look 

at your pace or heart rate, just keep going. This 

will give you so much physical but also mental 

strength, and it’s exactly what you need for XTRI. 

You will be amazed what you can make out of 

a “bad” training session if, instead of deciding 

you’ve lost all your fitness and you’ll never get 

anywhere, you just breathe calmly, commit to 

keep going, no matter what, and work through it. 

Within two minutes you might be crushing it, and 

no matter what, you will get to your race start line 

KNOWING that nothing can throw you off. i 

16 17

XTRI World 

Champion 

13 times Ironman Champion, Lucy Gossage won her slot to the XTRI World 

Championship wave at the Norseman by winning the inaugural Patagonman 

in 2018. Prior to going to Chile, Lucy had said it would be her last ever long 

distance triathlon. But the experience changed her mind. 

Actually, all it did was give me a lust for 

adventure and reignite my passion to 

try new things. Norseman has always 

caught my eye, but with no prize 

money and limited lure for sponsors it simply 

didn’t make sense to do until now.” 

Since “retiring” from racing professionally, 

Lucy has been having adventures and doing all 

sorts of races around the world, ticking off her 

bucket list and adding to it all the time. 

“I may no longer be living my life as a 

professional, but I still love racing. For me now, 

the joy is turning up with no expectations, 

lots of unknowns and the simple challenge of 

pushing myself as hard as I can in beautiful 

parts of the world.” 

The first World Champion 

Lucy won the XTRI World Championships, but 

for her one of the most special parts of the day 

was having her parents with her as support crew. 

“My parents have been to most of my big 

races over the years, but this was the first time 

I have been reliant on them to complete a race. 

They were a world-class support team and I 

don’t think anyone could have had better help 

than they gave me. Racing with them as an 

integral part of my team made the day even 

more special and has given me memories I will 

cherish forever.” 

Lucy found the closing stages of the Norseman 

run as hard as anyone does, and spent most of her 

time looking at her feet on the steep slopes of the 

mountain. But unlike conventional races, the finish 

line in Norway is not a fleeting moment. 

Gaustatoppen 

“Arriving at the summit, once you’ve caught 

your breath enough to look around, the view is 

overwhelming. I felt like I’d simply popped up on 

top of the world, with a vista of mountains, lakes, 

clouds and sky. Apparently you can see one sixth 

of Norway from the top. The Norseman finish 

couldn’t be more different to an Ironman finish 

line, but it is just as good. Days like this provide 

memories that last a lifetime.” i 


18 19

Triple 

charged 

For most people, just the thought of 

doing one XTRI is enough to induce 

panic training and night sweats. 

Imagine even contemplating two in 

a week, or three in the space of six 

weeks. It boggles the mind. Surely 

that is only the territory of elite 

athletes. Perhaps the prerequisites 

would be being both a professional 

athlete and completely mad. 

When Natasha Hagen defied the 

odds and somehow landed slots 

for Celtman, Swissman AND 

Norseman in 2018, perhaps she 

should have spent some time considering which 

ONE to do. Especially as Celtman and Swissman 

were only a week apart, and to her triathlon was 

just a hobby, albeit an intoxicating one. But 

while Natasha may not have had the first 

prerequisite, perhaps she has the second. 

She didn’t even flinch as she accepted all 

three places, and in doing so accepted an 

enormous challenge. 

Photo: Donna Hagen 

Photo: Endre Myrdal Olsen 

Loose connection 

It takes someone who is wired a little differently 

to consider doing something this tough. 

Natasha has two things, an ability to dream big, 

and a fire in her belly to achieve those dreams. 

But despite her incessant internal drive, Natasha 

knew she couldn’t do this one alone. Immediately 


20 21

after accepting her third slot, she set about 

gathering a team of people to help achieve her 

goal. She took on coach Alan Cardwell (XTRI 

Coaching Network), and sought her crews. 

“There’s something unique to XTRI World 

Tour races which gives them a depth you don’t get 

with regular triathlon. This depth is the support 

crew you plan the race with and who live it with 

you on race day. It is 

those people who want 

more than anything for 

the athlete to realise their 

dream to get to the finish 

line. If I was going to finish 

all three races I would 

need people with me that 

believed in me” 

Highland gales 

First up was Celtman, and 

as Natasha travelled with 

her crew to the mysterious 

Highlands of Scotland, she 

knew this was the start of a 

big adventure. 

“In true Scottish 

tradition race day brought 

gale force winds, and I 

really struggled on the 

bike. I was happy to 

get off, and despite not 

making the summit finish, 

I had a really amazing 

run through the valley on the lower course. The 

incessant rain finally turned into sun and was 

accompanied by a rainbow for the end of course. 

That’s a memory I will always carry with me.” 

With just a week to turn herself around for 

Swissman, Natasha was nervous that her body 

would not recover in time. Before she knew 

it, she was in the back of a car, driving some 

of the Swissman course with her new crew. It 

was daunting. She still felt exhausted from her 

exertions in the Scottish mountains, and as is 

always the case, the hills looked worse from a car. 

NATASHA HAGEN 

ESPA, NORWAY 

“I was wondering how I could put myself 

through the pain again so soon. I didn’t know 

if my body would find the strength to get up the 

steep hills we were driving. Either way, I knew 

it would be tough, and my crew could see the 

fatigue I still carried from the Celtman. It was a 

nervous few days before the race for all of us.” 

Photo: Endre Myrdal Olsen. 

Every emotion 

Despite her misgivings, 

Natasha made it through 

Swissman in one piece. 

One of her abiding 

memories is of the mental 

struggle she had on the 

bike. Often the longest 

part of the day for athletes, 

and definitely the time of 

the most isolation, to a 

fatigued athlete completing 

the 180+km in the 

mountains can seem like 

an insurmountable hurdle. 

“It was a constant 

mental battle for me, 

wondering if I could finish, 

wishing I could stop, pain 

overwhelming me, and 

then seeing my crew and 

persevering as much for 

them as for myself. I still 

have photos of myself 

hanging over the bike that 

day, the emotion pouring out of me, wondering 

how I was ever going to finish.” 

But finish she did, and looking back now, 

agrees it was one of the hardest physical tests she 

has ever completed. XTRI is never just about the 

athlete, and Natasha admits that she would never 

have finished had it not been for the supportive 

words from her crew that day. Oh and the constant 

supply of coffee and coke. 

Just five weeks later Natasha lined up for 

Norseman, a race so notorious their tongue 

in cheek slogan "this is not for you" puts most 

people off. But she was still tingling with 


adrenaline and excitement having completed the 

double and felt like this hurdle was far lower. She 

also had the home advantage which meant that 

many of her friends and family were out on the 

course supporting her. 

“I felt that chill go down my spine as I 

looked around at the other competitors prior 

to the race. I was excited to get started on the 

final chapter of my crazy goal. I was unsure 

how my body would respond, but I knew in my 

mind that I was ready to face whatever the race 

threw at me. I had a huge smile on my face as I 

jumped off the ferry into the cold waters of the 

Hardangerfjord”. 

Never, ever give up 

But as the day progressed, the physical toll of the 

other two races caught up with her, and Natasha 

slowed considerably. As other athletes sped 

past, she reminded herself that her only race was 

with herself, her only goal was to finish, even 

though it would not be for the coveted black 

t-shirt. But then something strange happened 

in the final kilometers of the race. Despite the 

overwhelming fatigue in her body, she was 

filled with a surge of energy she describes as a 

“runner’s high”. 

“I increased my speed to 5 min per km, 

which after everything that had come before was 

simply unbelievable for me. That last lap around 

the hotel it felt as if I was sprinting. I crossed 

the finish line with a feeling of pure joy. I had 

completed the challenge that I woken up every 

day believing I could do. Never before had I 

worked with such purpose towards something 

so hard and even now it gives me goosebumps to 

picture myself completing the final race.” 

Natasha’s experiences show that the body is 

capable of way more than we think it is. 

“Getting out of my comfort zone means I’m 

living life to the full; doing what I love; being 

active. It also means pushing new limits for me. 

Now I am on the lookout for the next challenge” 

Perhaps Natasha proved that the hardest 

part of any challenge is dreaming it. Once you 

accept the path in front of you, getting yourself 

to the end is all about having the right mindset. 

Oh, and being a little bit crazy. i 

22 23

Credit: Sony Gurung. 

Aiming 

high 

SONY GURUNG 

DHADING, NEPAL 

It can be argued that only in the 

world of extreme triathlon would 

anyone refuse the offer of a short 

flight or car ride in favour of 

cycling 200km solo across several 

steep valleys and then swimming 

2km to reach a pre-arranged 

location for a photoshoot. 

But that is exactly what Nepalese 

triathlete Sony Gurung chose to do 

when XTRI World Tour Prospect 

Race HimalayanXtri asked to speak 

to her and offered transport from 

the Nepalese capital Kathmandu to 

our race base at Pokhara. 

Text: Jamie Ross Mackenzie. 

Sony on the HimalayanXtri bike 

course with the Annapurna mountain 

range in the background. 

Photo: Rakshak Bhusan Bajracharya 

24 25

Photo: Sony Gurung 

“Any woman who fights 

to achieve their dream 

is my role model. „ 

It turns out this level of motivation and 

dedication is typical of Sony as she has 

worked her way from a remote hilltop 

village to the top step of the podium at the 

13th South Asia Games held in 

Nepal in 2019. 

Destinations are 

important to Sony, but so too 

is the journey, as she now 

prepares to take on her first 

extreme triathlon. 

She was born in 1994 about 

100km west of Kathmandu in 

Kali Daha, Dhading. Sony’s 

family are not involved in sport 

but they did encourage her as 

her natural strength and appetite 

for all things active shone 

through from an early age. She 

soon became aware of just how 

sport could change things for 

women in Nepal. 

“Because of sports I began 

to see that women can be 

independent, physically tough 

and mentally strong,” says 

Sony. “It has not been that easy 

for women to become socially 

and economically independent 

in Nepal, but I saw quickly that 

sport was one route I wanted 

to take. “Any woman who 

fights to achieve their dream is 

my role model.” 

Early learning 

Sony’s first steps into the world 

of sport began at her home 

village as a young girl when she 

took up karate and taekwondo 

classes. These were sporadic 

as the instructor had to walk several kilometres 

from a nearby town to reach the remote villages. 

Top-up training was combined with play 

as she also joined friends swimming in the local 

river and a favourite past-time was swimming 

Sony swimming in Lake Phewa, 

Pokhara. Photo: Rakshak Bhusan 

Bajracharya 

Sony crosses the finish line and wins 

gold during the South Asia Games, 2019. 

upstream against the strong currents. As a result, 

swimming became her strongest discipline at an 

early age and it opened the door to triathlon later 

in life in 2016 when she moved to Kathmandu to 

join the Nepalese Assault Police 

Force (APF). 

Nepal has few 

opportunities for development 

in sport but services such as 

the regular police force, the 

army and the APF offer a route 

through their supported sports 

divisions for those with the 

aptitude and desire. 

This does provide some 

athletes with the opportunity 

to train almost full-time and 

Sony is one of the lucky ones 

as her salary is covered while 

she represents the APF. There 

is a lot of pride in representing 

the respective services. And of 

course, a lot of competition. 

The experience through 

the APF has been invaluable for 

Sony as training facilities and 

access to coaching is limited 

in Nepal. The Nepal Triathlon 

Association does support 

athletes as best it can, but 

resources are scarce. 

Locally sourced 

Sony has been used to training 

alone and she works to her 

own schedule and nutrition 

plan. Like almost all Nepalis 

Sony’s favourite dish is the 

Sony competing during the South Asia all-conquering dhal bhat, made 

Games in Pokhara, 2019. 

from lentils and usually served 

with rice, spinach and potato. 

Perfect carbo-loading for any aspiring triathlete! 

“I usually eat the normal everyday meal of 

Nepal, though I give a bit more priority to fruits 

and nuts. Before and after races I don’t have a 

particular food that I have to have. I like more 

26 27

spicy/savoury food than sweet. But mostly, it’s dal 

bhat for me,” she smiles. 

That famous ‘Dhal Bhat Power’ slogan 

seen on so many tourist t-shirts from Nepal 

may have something to it as it helped fuel Sony 

to her biggest success to date in triathlon when 

she competed for her country in the 13th South 

Asia Games (SAG) last year. She took gold in 

the Olympic distance race, which included the 

swim section in Lake Phewa, the same lake as the 

Himalayan Xtri will use. 

Gold 

The experience of winning gold on her home 

ground crowned an ambition formed many years 

ago when she used to compete swimming against 

her older brother and others back at her home 

village. But it also proved to 

her that this is just one more 

step on a bigger journey. 

“After winning the gold 

last year I felt a lot of changes 

in me. A very positive 

change. The gold was another 

step closer to my dream, 

and also it was like a turning 

point in my career.” 

She is keen to help 

to promote the sport of 

triathlon in Nepal and is 

especially committed to 

encouraging more women to 

take up sport. 

Sony’s gold medal certainly turbo-boosted 

that ambition as her performance caught the 

headlines in Nepal and across parts of Asia. 

“I will continue with this sport as it’s new 

here, people don’t know much about it,” she adds. 

“Now I can give a hand to future generations 

who want to do this, or any sport here. I want to 

create that positive environment and to use my 

experience to change things, as I had difficulty 

when I first started out. 

“In comparison to other sports, triathlon is 

very small in Nepal, but I feel this sport can grow 

very big,” she adds. 

“Because of sports 

I began to see 

that women can 

be independent, 

physically tough and 

mentally strong. „ 

Now she has decided it is time to step up in 

distance and the arrival of the Himalayan Xtri as 

an XTRI World Tour Prospect Race in Nepal has 

proved timely. 

“This event came as a surprise for me. It was 

like a dream come true. I was actually searching 

for something like this. When I used to talk with 

my friends, I told them that nobody will take me 

to an Ironman-distance event to compete so I will 

have to bring my own to Pokhara. 

“I am a short-distance triathlete, so I have 

never done a long-distance event like this. 

Honestly, I have no idea about specific training 

that I have to do for this. But I am making 

my own training schedule and following it 

normally.” 

However, Sony’s lack of experience over the 

long distance will be offset 

by her local knowledge. 

“I do feel an advantage 

in the HimalayanXtri 

because I am from here 

and I can plan a strategy on 

where and how much time 

I should rest, push on, or 

drink water. Because I will 

be training here, I will be 

familiar with the course and 

will feel more confident.” 

She does have some 

serious competition 

next May though, as the 

international field for the race is strong. 

Sony has only competed twice outside 

of Nepal, in India and Thailand at World 

Triathlon events, but she is hoping the XTRI 

World Tour can provide an opportunity to see 

more of the world. 

“I love tough sports. I would love to travel 

the world to participate. Let’s see how far I can 

go, but the dream would be to go all over the 

world to participate.” 

Hopefully, Sony’s journey can inspire more 

women to see the opportunities this sport can bring, 

and perhaps we’ll see a Nepali on the top step at an 

XTRI event one day. You heard it here first! i 

Ready to run, looking out over the 

Annapurna mountain range. 

Photo: Rakshak Bhusan Bajracharya 

28 29

Sony in front of Machapuchre 

(Mt Fishtail) on the 

HimalayanXtri run course 

Photo: Ayush Bista 

30 31

Turning over a 

new leaf 

The village and tea plantation of 

Lwang will host the finish of the 

HimalayanXtri. The community is 

also part of a pioneering programme 

to empower women in Nepal. 

Text: Jamie Ross Mackenzie. 

Photo: Jamie Ross Mackenzie 

The HimalayanXtri extreme triathlon 

will take athletes and their support 

crew on a journey from Nepal’s second 

city Pokhara up into the remote and 

tranquil mountain location of Lwang – though it 

has a backdrop to shout about! 

The race will finish at 1,400 metres above 

sea level in Lwang and accommodation will be 

provided for each athlete and their support crew 

as part of the general entry fee. 

One of the unique aspects to this finish is 

the chance to experience true Nepali culture, as 

the accommodation provided is not in the usual 

setting of a hotel or hostel. 

Lwang is a homestay village. Visitors, 

race athletes and their support will be offered 

the chance to stay in one of the well-organised 

homestay houses. These are family homes, 

adapted to accommodate guests. 

This homestay idea was pioneered several 

years ago as a way to breathe new life into 

remote communities in Nepal hard hit by 

migration to the cities and abroad. Villages were 

falling into ruin and agriculture in the area was 

being left unattended. 

32 33


and economic life. 

This structure typically 

assigned women 

restricted roles, removed 

from decision making 

and the financial 

decisions of the family. 

The homestay 

programme had an 

immediate positive 

impact on the lives 

of women in the 

community by boosting 

their active role, 

education and 

living standards. 

A key aim was to 

enhance gender equality 

by establishing the right 

of women to decide. 

And now the women of 

the village are key to the 

programme, managing 

the financial accounts of 

the house and organising 

cross community cooperation. 

It shows... the 

village looks and feels 

well run. 

The principal aim of the homestay 

programme was to promote a new kind of 

tourism, where visitors can interact and have 

direct experience of the day-to-day life of a Nepali 

mountain community. This, in turn, was intended 

to boost the economy of the villages and to 

encourage the young to stay. 

Injecting equality 

Another key principle identified to turn around 

the fortunes of the communities was to empower 

the women of these villages through the homestay 

programme and management roles. 

Communities have been inextricably 

bound to the dominant Hindu social structure, 

which influences all aspects of social, cultural 

Flourishing plantations 

Meals served by local hosts are made of organic 

produce fresh out of their gardens. Many of the 

homestay regions, including Lwang, have green 

and eco-friendly initiatives in order to help 

preserve the environment and ensure a green 

stay. Check out the now flourishing organic tea 

plantations the morning after the race, if the legs 

will allow! 

Lwang has a pristine scenic environment. 

The homestay owners help in spreading awareness 

to keep their area clean and Lwang is on its way to 

becoming a full agroforestry settlement. 

The HimalayanXtri race organisation is 

committed to making a positive contribution to 

the homestay programme and the benefits it has 


34 35

ought to women of the communities across the 

Annapurna Conservation Area, which our run 

section crosses. 

Tea is a good drink 

The race is also fully committed to supporting 

the growth of the environmentally positive 

programmes in the area, including promoting 

organic produce. You may get to enjoy some local 

Himalayan green tea in your organic race goody 

bag. Only one way to find out. 

One word of warning... the village of Lwang 

is dominated by the Gurung and Thakali people. 

They believe that ‘Guests are God’ and treat 

visitors to their village alike. That exceptional 

hospitality can lead to great food, music... and 

dancing. Special prizes to anyone who can finish 

this race and still muster a dance at the finish! i 

Photo: Robert Harding/ 

Alamy Stock photo 

RACE ON 

YOUR OWN 

Ö TILL X 

TAKE ON THE CHALLENGE AND RECEIVE 

A NEW TASK EACH MONTH OF 2021 

FIND AND UNDERTAKE DISTANCES AND 

VERTICALS FROM RACES IN BOTH 

SERIES AND TRACK YOUR 

PROGRESS AROUND THE WORLD. 

GREAT PRIZES ARE ON OFFER 

MONTHLY AND SPOTS CAN BE 

EARNED IN REAL WORLD RACES. 

36 


An XTRI World Tour and ÖTILLÖ collaboration – www.myxtri.com

“Someone made 

a race for me „ 

In 2009, at 33 years old, Susanne Buckenlei already had a long and 

successful professional career in Ironman. The German athlete was 

signed up for Ironman Brazil that year, but over the winter she fell ill and 

was not fit enough to do the early season race. 

Her father, an ex-triathlete and Susanne’s most loyal supporter, had been 

trying to persuade her for years to do the legendary Norseman. That 

summer, by chance, she met a well-connected German journalist who 

introduced her to the organisers of the perpetually sold out event. 


38 39

Given her background, they offered 

her a starting slot. She took it without 

hesitation, knowing it was too 

good to pass on. But Susanne didn’t 

know much about the race and didn’t do a lot of 

research or specific training. Perhaps going in 

blind to that first edition was good. She wasn’t 

intimidated and, being a professional athlete, she 

never doubted she would finish. 

As she reached the 

top of Gaustatoppen, 

victorious at her first 

attempt, the finishing 

line emotions dwarfed 

the Ironman races she 

had done, and although 

she raced a few more 

after that, her heart 

had been stolen by 

extreme triathlon. 

“I knew that I was 

not really a contender 

for podium positions in 

the mainstream races any 

longer, and my motivation 

to train for them left me. 

But with XTRI I found 

a new love. It was like 

someone had made a race 

for me.” 

Susanne was just a 

few minutes off the course 

record in 2009, and broke 

it in 2010. Then the triple 

was hers for the taking, 

so 2011 was a given. She won again, taking 

her hattrick, but also achieving her goals for 

Norseman, and providing the perfect moment to 

retire from professional racing. 

No rest for the wicked 

Just as she was starting to relax and enjoy that 

retirement, she received a call from Celtman. 

As a young race, Celtman were keen to have wellknown 

women there to encourage more female 

entries, and Susanne was the perfect fit. Having 

SUSANNE BUCKENLEI 

ROTH, GERMANY 

never been to Scotland before, she persuaded her 

family that it would be an adventure. But her 

decision came during the winter and she had not 

been training seriously up until that point. With 

snow on the ground she found it hard to get the 

endurance sessions done. Luckily, with such a 

long pedigree in the sport, it didn’t take her long 

to get fit, and she went to Celtman and won it. 

Then came her second retirement. Celtman 

in 2012 was her last 

serious race but, she says, 

the thought of doing 

another is never far from 

her mind. 

“When I am out 

training, especially if 

it is raining and cold, 

memories of those races 

creep into my mind. They 

were such emotional 

experiences that even 10 

years later the excitement 

stays with me. I often 

think about doing another 

one just to have that 

experience again”. 

Her parents feel the 

same. They are her biggest 

fans and crewed for her on 

all four of her XTRI race 

victories. Despite having 

been to many of her 

other professional races, 

they have the fondest 

memories of those Xtreme 

experiences. Susanne agrees. 

“Sharing those moments in XTRI with 

your family and crew is something unique. They 

create special memories that we all remember 

and treasure. Memories that would not have been 

created any other way.” 

Growth in demand 

In 2021 Susanne will coach three athletes for 

the Norseman. In the last two years she has seen 

interest grow exponentially for XTRI. And not 

just from the men. The number of women she 

coaches has grown to 50% of her 50 athletes, 

where before she had 10% at most. On top of 

that, 9 out of the 10 enquiries she has had about 

coaching this year have been from women. 

“As women have found an increasingly equal 

role in society, so they have been getting more 

involved with sport. Now women have similar 

jobs to men, and home life is more equal, they 

have more opportunity and drive to look for 

adventures that interest them. Plus, women are 

made for this sport. They are better at fat burning 

and have great endurance engines.” 

The simplicity of her approach to extreme 

events comes across in her recommended mindset: 

“Don’t be intimidated by what you see on the 

photos, or the stories you hear. Just tell yourself it 

is a day of sport and you will get to the end.” 

But everything is different about XTRI 

– not just the race. Susanne describes how 

much she loved the challenge of the travel, the 

administration, nutrition planning, equipment 

and crew. The race headquarters for Celtman was 

one of her challenges. 

Photo: Lars-Erik Blenne Lien/nxtri.com 

facebook.com/groups/womenofxtri 

“In Shieldaig, North-West Scotland, you can’t 

have your bike fixed or even send a text. It’s isolated 

and raw. You have to be 100% organised; it is all on 

you. Have good people around you. That is part of 

the attraction of these events for me.” 

Perhaps every athlete should have that 

experience at least once and give themselves a 

chance to have those powerful memories. 

Lasting memories 

“After all these years I can’t believe how the 

emotion of those events remains so strongly 

with me. It can still catch me out at unexpected 

moments when I remember snapshots of those 

races. I did many races in my career, including 

Kona, but I would not want to go back to any 

of them except the XTRIs. It is the spirit of 

the race that is special. The atmosphere is like 

family, and sharing it with your crew is part of 

the magic”. 

Susanne hinted that she will be back for 

more at some point. Even though now she would 

enter without any expectations of winning, the 

draw is too strong to leave it behind. i 

JOIN 

US AT 

FACEBOOK.COM/GROUPS/WOMENOFXTRI 

40 41

One of the unique and wonderful 

things about XTRI races is the role 

of the support crew. 

Triathlon is usually an individual 

sport, but with XTRI that’s not 

the case. 

Text: Polly Middleton 

In 2012 I began crewing for my husband 

Barry at a well-known 24 hour endurance 

mountain bike race in the highlands of 

Scotland. Crewing for your partner during 

a long, tough sporting event will either kill or 

cement a relationship. In our case it was the latter 

and the experience lit a spark in both of us. 

The next year Barry entered the Celtman. 

Neither of us really knew what to expect, but it 

was the beginning of an extraordinary journey 

in XTRI that has taken us to remarkable places 

and connected us with new friends from all over 

the world. 

Torridon is only 90 miles from where we live, 

so without a great deal of planning we threw the 

tent and kit in the car the day before that first XTRI 

and headed up to Shieldaig to tackle Celtman. 

At 02:50 the next morning the occupants of the 

campsite emerged, clad in neoprene, ready to 

rack bikes and board buses to the race start. As I 

organised our kit for the day, a bleary-eyed older 

gentleman put his head out of a campervan and 

asked what was going on. He and his wife had not 

realised they were about to be in the middle of an 

event. But to my surprise they gladly joined in, 

making tea for the support crews in the campsite 

and coming to watch the athletes exit the water. It 

was the first time I saw something I now recognise 

at all the events. The energy of XTRI draws in 

strangers and brings people together. 

Serial 

supporter 

Expletives 

As is fairly typical for Scotland, that day was 

foul; wet with 40mph wind. I pulled a shivering 

Barry from the water and assisted a very sweary 

transition to get him underway on the bike. The 

Photo: Samuel Confortola 

42 43

ike leg is now my favourite part of the day as 

crew. Once an athlete is moving, they keep a 

fairly consistent pace, so you interact with the 

same other athletes and 

crews throughout the bike 

leg. Crews help each other 

out when necessary and 

that feeling of all being “in 

it together” creates special 

bonds. I loved that first 

experience despite the 

weather, and I now have 

several good friends I met 

supporting XTRI races. 

Barry was drenched and 

freezing when he crossed 

the finish line of that first 

XTRI, and I was not much 

different, but we were 

hooked! From the Lofoten 

Islands of Norway, through to 

races in Chile, Italy, France, 

the UK Lake District and 

to Seward in Alaska, over 

POLLY MIDDLETON 

the years we have explored AVIEMORE, SCOTLAND 

and met new friends. The 

races have offered not only 

incredible travel experiences, 

they have also fine-tuned us as a team. My natural 

problem-solving instincts have been sharpened 

as I try to be the best support crew possible, and 

we have developed a system that helps Barry be 

his optimum on race day. But that has not always 

been the case and there have been some near 

misses along the way. 

At Swissman I learnt that when racing a route 

you don’t know, study it, study it and study it again. 

It is not always possible to do a recce in the days 

before, but if you can it is always worth it. I made 

a number of navigation errors including turning 

up the narrow Gotthard Pass alongside the cyclists 

and it’s probably not ideal to carry out a panicked 5 

point turn on the race route. As crew if you get lost 

on the bike route, or don’t have the right nutrition 

and kit to hand, then it can cost your athlete their 

race. It can be highly stressful at times. 

Photo: XXX. 

Photo: Polly Middleton 

44 45

Photo: Barry Middleton 

Kryptonite 

Swissman was also the first race where 

I was both support crew in the car and 

the accompanying runner for the final 

part of the run. It was a warm day, and 

when we arrived at T2 I could tell Barry 

was really starting to suffer in the heat, 

it’s not the natural habitat of a Scot after 

all. Usually I am a significantly slower 

runner than Barry, so I was secretly 

relieved, hoping that a hard day for him 

meant I would be able to keep up with 

him. That turned out to be true, at least 

to start with. As we set out the sun was 

burning down, and the temperature was 

still in the high 20’s. Barry was suffering, 

but in reasonable spirits as we headed up 

the trail. As the sun started to set, I learnt 

something new about Barry: heat is his 

Kryptonite. When it’s hot he can struggle, 

but as temperatures drop his strength 

returns. The last 400 metres of the climb 

were after sunset, below the North Face of 

the Eiger, majestic in the twilight against 

a clear indigo sky. He was now pushing 

hard, and it was a stretch to keep up. But 

the two of us pushing hard in that awe 

inspiring place is something that we still 

talk about several years later and that will 

stay with me forever. Being his buddy 

runner really adds to our race experience, 

but Swissman taught me that I needed to 

get faster and fitter. 

It is also true that no matter how 

fine-tuned your team is, things out of 

your control can always throw a spanner 

in the works. On arrival at Swedeman 

in 2018 we discovered our luggage, 

including the bike, had not arrived. That 

is perhaps a triathlete’s greatest fear. 

The day before the race we still 

hadn’t heard from the airline, but whilst 

having lunch we began talking to a 

couple at the next table. The guy was 

also and his brother-in-law was a senior 

sales manager with SAS airlines. In true 

XTRI style, he immediately got on the 

phone to help. With enormous relief, I 

got a call from the airline about an hour 

later to say our luggage had arrived. 

Barry headed to the race briefing and I 

drove a 4 hour round trip to collect the 

gear. From experience I now know that 

I will be almost as exhausted as Barry 

by the end of a race, but I do anything I 

can to make the day go as smoothly as 

possible. We just about got organised 

in time. 

Creating a strong community 

Swedeman is an incredibly beautiful 

and fulfilling race, and afterwards, 

reflecting on the experience we 

were able to share a laugh about the 

lost luggage. Again we made many 

new friends, and our parting words 

to one were: “see you in Chile for 

Patagonman”. That is one of the best 

things about XTRI, meeting friends 

from the other side of the world in 

spectacular locations. 

A year later, I joined Barry for the 

run to the summit finish line at ICON. 

As we ran through Livigno with people 

in every restaurant and on every bar 

balcony cheering us on, I was filled with 

emotion. Sharing that with Barry was 

something very special, but we were not 

done yet. The run kicks hard with over 

1000 metres of climbing to the finish line 

at Carosello 3000. It was a long slog, with 

head torches illuminating the odd, and 

very confused Alpine cow. Reaching the 

finish line was the culmination of a very 

tough but unforgettable day for us both. 

Neither of us know what the future 

will hold for races yet. But whatever 

happens, we will be there as a team 

at whatever XTRI we can do. And we 

always know wherever in the world we 

end up, that any trip will be full of fun, 

friendships, and logistical challenges! i 

46 47

Elizabeth 

And so it was, once again I prayed, 

and I cried a lot at each stage. I will 

never forget Dani Bertachini at the 

end of the Serra do Rio do Rastro, 

running beside me, shouting: 

“You rock, you are amazing, you 

are Fodax” 

Text: Elizabeth Fernandes. 

It was not until I was 26 years old that I was 

finally able to afford a decent mountain bike. 

I loved riding it, and after a while I started 

to compete. I did a few races, but I was 

always looking for bigger challenges. Then came 

marathons and some long distance ride. In 2011, 

I signed up for my first Ironman having never 

cycled a road nor time-trial bike in my life. I had 

some running coaching but I had never raced a 

triathlon. Despite this, I loved the race and since 

then I have completed four Ironmans, three 

Fodaxman XTRIs and countless other events. 

It was in 2017 after my fourth Ironman 

that Rafael, one of the organizers of Fodaxman, 

invited me to participate in the competition. He 

said, "Beth, we need women at the event." 

I couldn't stop thinking about it. The region 

is an adventure playground and I grew up nearby 

so I knew the roads well. I think it was this 

knowledge that held me back initially. Climbing 

the Serra do Rio do Rastro by itself seemed 

almost impossible. I knew that even if I managed 

that, I would still have 90km to ride to Urubici 

followed by the uphill marathon. And all this was 

Photo: Márcio Neri Araújo 

48 49

Photo: Fodaxman. 

preceded with a night swim which I had never 

done. I assumed it would attract only top athletes, 

impressive people, and that I would certainly 

be the weakest. I tentatively asked Márcio, my 

husband, what he thought. To my surprise, from 

that first moment he was all in. He said: "Let’s go... 

I want to be your crew". 

Photo: Mariana Andrade 

ELIZABETH FERNANDES 

FLORIANOPOLIS, BRAZIL 

The news 

His confidence persuaded me and I started to feel 

butterflies in my stomach. The race entry brought 

with it that delicious feeling I had before my first 

full distance triathlon. Doubt, hesitation, but also 

self-belief and excitement. I really didn't know if 

I was going to finish. So I gave myself three goals. 

One: to complete the competition; Two: not to 

die; Three: not to be last. 

When I crossed the bottom finish line at that 

first Fodaxman it was the most wonderful feeling. 

I had loved the race. The landscape was beautiful, 

we made great friends, and even my husband was 

inspired to enter the following year. And at that 

moment, of course, I wanted to race again, and I 

wanted to be a top finisher. I started training hard. 

Then disaster struck. Every year in 

September I have a medical check-up. In 2018 

my doctor ordered an additional mammogram. 

I was 37 years old, so I found it strange as 

mammograms are not typically done in Brazil 

before the age of 40. After the mammogram 

instead of being told: “everything is fine ... see 

you next year”, I was booked in for another test. I 

began to worry that there was something wrong. 

My training started to slip. 

On December 7, 2018, just a week before 

I was due to race Fodaxman, I found out I had 

breast cancer and my world fell apart. My 

husband, who was also meant to be participating 

that year, asked me: “Do you still want to go? You 

don't have to, I'll support your decision ”. 

I didn't need to think about it. It was clear to 

me that I had to race. I was sure I would be able to 

complete the competition. But with the diagnosis 

came huge uncertainty and I really didn’t know 

what the next few years would hold. I decided to 

take advantage of my fitness while I still had it. 

50 51

52 53 

Photo: Duks Moreira

Two days before the competition I had a 

biopsy, but I still raced. I cried at each stage, at 

each small victory. I prayed that God would allow 

me to do it again and I promised myself that I 

would do everything possible, perhaps even the 

impossible, to do Fodaxman in 2019. I wanted 

to prove that I was still in control of my body; 

cancer is not in charge. 

Sleepless nights 

2019 began with 

surgery to remove 

Photo: Duks Moreira 

the tumor. I joke that 

I had cancer for less 

than a month. With 

the operation I felt 

like I was leaving that 

evil thing behind. To 

get better now all I 

had to do was follow 

the medical protocol. 

But unfortunately, 

by the time I had 

the operation the 

cancer had spread 

into the lymph nodes 

in my left armpit. I 

had to have them 

removed, and I was 

told by the doctor 

that the operation 

would decrease my 

strength. He advised 

me to take care of my 

left arm as if it were 

a baby. The medical professionals doubted that I 

would ever be able to swim more than 1000 meters. 

Chemotherapy started and hair loss came 

with it. My last appearance with hair was at the 

launch of the official Fodaxman 2018 video. 

Earlier that day I had completed my second 

chemotherapy session, and at the end of the video 

there was a message from the organisers to me: 

“The greatest glory in living it is not in 

falling, but in rising every time we fall.” 

(Nelson Mandela). 

They had heard about my diagnosis. 

After the surgery I was left with just 30% 

of the original strength in my left arm. I was 

also continuing chemotherapy with other side 

effects. I gained a huge amount of weight, had 

extreme tiredness, and I was not sleeping due 

to the pain in my arm. I needed a lot of physical 

therapy, and a lot of willpower to believe I could 

get stronger. 

The treatment 

also drastically 

impacted my 

immune system 

so I avoided 

contact with 

other people as 

much as possible. 

I couldn't go to 

the pool because 

of the surgery, so 

my routine was: 

treatment, work 

(I didn't stop 

working) and 

a few training 

sessions. If I 

ran for too long 

my heart rate 

would soar and 

I would get leg 

cramps. I had 

underestimated 

the consequences 

of chemotherapy. 

Battlescarred 

During this period, despite being bald, I even did 

a MTB race. I approached it in a “recreational” 

way of course as I had lost so much fitness. I 

did not recognise myself physically or mentally, 

but the race gave me a sense of purpose and a 

connection with the sports I loved. 

At the end of chemotherapy, I gradually 

returned to swimming in the sea. Because of the 

damage to my arm I had to relearn how to swim 

but I was still not able to train at the pool. I also 

had to learn how to ride again as my left arm had 

very little strength and that really affected my 

balance. Then I started radiotherapy. The treatment 

was not as severe so little by little some of my 

symptoms improved. But radiotherapy burns 

your skin, which meant I was again restricted to 

the indoor bike as I couldn’t bare to have clothing 

touching the damaged skin. 

I also had to start taking oral chemotherapy, 

and with that came another phase of adaptation, 

which I confess I have yet to completely overcome. 

At this point I was four months away 

from Fodaxman 2019. Both my coaches (Mari 

and Ju from Time) and I were concerned. My 

swimming was dire, I had no 

pace on the bike, and I still 

couldn't run. We adapted my 

training as I improved, but 

we initially focused on the 

cycling and swimming. The 

run was the last stage and I 

had to hope it would come 

in time. 

You are Fodax 

Another month passed, and 

I dragged myself through the 

training. I found out how 

to minimise the swelling in 

my arm and hand because of lymphedema but I 

couldn't cycle for more than 5 hours. That was 

when I started to hear: 

"You shouldn't demand so much of yourself " 

"It's a phase, if you want it to pass quickly, 

it’s better to rest" 

"The Fodaxman will be there every year, 

you don't need to do this" 

"Will you really?". 

I even doubted myself: “If all these people are 

advising me not to, should I continue? Should I 

really try?” 

That's when I heard the phrase that hurt the 

most: “Just starting in the competition is already 

a victory”. 

No. I'm not just going to start it. I'm going to the end ... 

“The greatest 

glory in living it 

is not in falling, 

but in rising every 

time we fall. „ 

– Nelson Mandela 

To just be on the start line for the 

competition that December 2019 was a 

huge moment for me. I have such fondness 

for the race and I had a massive sense of 

accomplishment being there. But I was also 

desperate to finish. 

And so it was, once again I prayed, and I 

cried a lot at each stage. I will never forget Dani 

Bertachini at the end of the Serra do Rio do 

Rastro, running beside me, shouting: 

“You rock, you are amazing, you are Fodax ”. 

In the last few kilometers of the bike, I 

had such bad cramps that I had to stop several 

times. My crew were phenomenal. Mari, my 

coach, was keeping me motivated and Dani took 

care of my fuel, delivering 

what my nutritionist had 

plannned out for me. They 

were constantly encouraging 

me and taking care of me. 

My husband, Marcio, was 

also racing but he was still 

behind me at this point. I 

was starting to worry about 

him so they were also giving 

me updates on his progress 

to boost my own motivation. 

Support matters 

Eventually I made it to the 

run, and with every kilometer I ran Marcio 

got closer. When he caught up with me I was 

so happy to have his company, and with our 

combined strength we pushed hard and finished 

the competition. It was hugely emotional and I 

had an overwhelming sense of accomplishment. 

I don't believe I did anything particularly 

special, but people tell me I did. They tell me 

I am one of those examples of overcoming the 

odds, setting an example to inspire many. I still 

think that I only believed in myself. I am lucky 

to have had the support of my husband and other 

wonderful people in my life. They were all there 

with me for every gruelling step, and we all ended 

hand in hand at the finish line. It is the people 

around you that make the impossible possible. i 

54 55

Photo: Daniela Correia 

56 57

People like me 

Cat Macleod felt this sport was not for her, how wrong she was. 

Text: Cat Macleod. 

When you read about what it 

entails, I challenge you to not 

gasp and comment how it seems 

utterly ridiculous. Extreme 

Triathlon is, quite simply, brutal. Maybe you are 

drawn to the allure of the unconventional, the 

mystique of the different; 

but honestly, and without 

question, these races 

are extraordinary. 

Set in the highlands, 

wild and as close as you can 

get to feeling on the edge 

of reason;. The Celtman 

prides itself on being an 

event the locals embrace. 

The ‘circus’ you see at 

some sporting events is 

harsh, noisy and always 

attempting to accelerate 

mood. The Celtman 

doesn’t need to do that. 

This is not for me 

I told myself it was only 

for the best of the best, 

for “real” triathletes. The 

coached, the club members, 

the sponsored and the 

special. XTRI races don’t 

say that. What they do say is; it’s there for anyone 

who thinks they can. There is a risk of dying, well 

so says the small print, so if you sign up you have 

to be willing to become extremely uncomfortable. 

Or be willing to stop. That’s what grabbed me. I 

CAT MACLEOD 

INVERNESS, SCOTLAND 

was willing to fail, but I was also willing to crawl if 

I had to. The concept scared me. I was filled with 

a sense that it was now or never, and the draw to 

attempt it became all encompassing. But, I had no 

pedigree in any of it. No results to share. Nothing 

to speak of to illuminate my determination to do 

better than my very best. 

Was it really for people like 

me? 

Not just a number 

In the world of multisports, 

triathlon, extreme 

endurance racing… I’m 

just a number. I am not 

particularly excellent at 

any of the elements which 

define extreme triathlon; 

I played hockey and 

drank alcohol during my 

formative years so I can’t 

profess to having had a 

good starting point. But, 

I am someone who can 

cope with feeling out of my 

comfort zone, in that place 

where you are alert and 

ready to take flight. I am 

a mother, a wife, a friend 

and someone who works to 

help others. I have lived a life at pace; one which 

has been speckled with triumph and occasional 

trauma, and I wanted to see if I could use those 

experiences to get me to the finish line. I wanted 

to prove to myself as much to those observing 

Photo: Laura Mackay 

58 59

Photo: José Luis Hourcade 

xtri-xperience.com 

BE A 

PART OF 

SOMETHING 

SPECIAL 

EXPERIENCE THE XTRI ATMOSPHERE 

XTRI RACE SIMULATION 

POINT TO POINT SESSIONS 

MICHELIN STAR CHEF 

PRIVATE VILLA 

Read more at 

xtri-xperience.com 

Photo: Cailean Macleod 

Photo: Laura Mackay 

that XTRI isn’t just for experts. You see, there 

is nothing remarkable about me; other than my 

willingness to try. 

The Celtman is ‘extreme’ because of the 

distances asked of competitors; I had a good idea 

of what I needed to do. The condition I had to be 

in; the speed I had to find, and the technicalities I 

had to master. My preparation was varied, atypical 

even, but it worked. It was about volume and 

consistency; pacing and perspective. It was about 

maintaining balance in life and always keeping my 

family ahead of my desire to obsess about times, 

speeds and distances. People like me don’t make 

headlines. At best our numbers make it onto the 

final results sheet. But people like me want to have 

the same chance as others to change their lives. 

People like me have to start somewhere and my 

start was The Celtman. 

The silence required at the start as hubs click 

and clack as they are pushed along the tarmac 

in the beautiful village of Shieldaig is meditative. 

So early. So unique. No loud PA system, no 

motivational chants. Just time to think. To 

appreciate. To feel very much alive. 

Unseen exit 

Once the horn sounds and the splashing and 

kicks in the face come, nothing else matters. 

You enter the water with hope; a slight fizzing 

of adrenaline starting to course through your 

veins and the realisation that you have chosen 

to do something others would never consider, 

Photo: Cailean Macleod 

preferring instead to stand in the warmth to 

observe. Some in awe, some in disbelief. Because 

it is, it’s truly unbelievable. Swimming towards 

an unseen exit. Actually terrifying if you let the 

thoughts take hold. 

I had never swum as far, never biked as 

far and never run as far as I did on the 16th of 

June 2018, my first Celtman attempt. My first 

triathlon attempt. Idiotic or incredible? Of that 

I am unsure...but what I do know is that if it 

had been up to just me, I would have failed. In 

terms of ‘lifeshocks’, competing in The Celtman 

has to be one of the most arresting. It allowed 

me and my crew to come face-to-face with 

elements of our personalities and team unity we 

would otherwise never have found. 

I have many incredible memories to carry 

forwards from this event. I know that it IS 

possible to complete something as gargantuan as 

The Celtman with underlying health conditions; 

I delayed major surgery to compete in 2018 and 

asthma didn’t stop me either. What made my 

dream achievable was those I had alongside. I 

was willing to take risks and they were willing to 

catch me if I were to fall. When you trust others 

to keep you safe, and they have passion for 

your pursuit then you have it all. My crew are 

podium quality for sure. We haven’t yet made 

the ‘mountain’ during the race, but we know 

what it looks like. We will be back. 

It seems, after all, that extreme triathlon is 

for people like me. i 

61

Patagonmen 

When I first heard the idea of Patagonman, from the mouth of 

someone who at that time was no more than it’s dreamer, 

I clearly remember thinking: “Well, that’s a stretch”. 

Text: Carlinha Carvalho. 

Photo: Diego Lavin Provoste 

62 63

I 

have produced big, complex events 

many times in my career. It is work 

that I love, and maybe because of that, 

I am also very good at it. It is a job 

that involves many different people, with 

so many different backgrounds, it is too 

rich not to be enjoyed. I love leading teams 

of sometimes strangers towards a single 

objective that, most of the time, is no more 

than a blurry vision for one of them. I seek 

to understand the vision so I can translate 

it into a whole variety of languages. The 

design language. The content language. The 

tech language and so many others. From 

the keynote speaker or the main attraction 

to the items in the menu and amenities in 

the bathroom; all of it carefully thought of, 

planned and supervised. 

I have always recognised that events 

are much more than corporate activities for 

a company’s marketing agenda. They can be 

a statement. They can define careers, bring 

themes and people into the spotlight or out 

of it. They move crowds, captivate, inform, 

develop, gather, and often they change lives. 

But although I knew all that, nothing could 

have prepared me for what I was about to 

experience in December, 2018. 

Organising the organisers 

The Patagonman team were all men. They 

were rough, they were tough, and they 

had never produced an event before. Not 

a birthday party let alone an extreme race. 

Their language was triathlon and I didn’t 

speak their language. What they had in 

spades, though, was passion, knowledge, 

and confidence. But also, they had a 

clear vision and that is a language I most 

definitely speak. 

I felt very comfortable when our first 

pre-production meeting started. There was 

nothing I hadn’t seen before. Logistics, client 

support, housing, sponsor relationships, 

hotel rooms set up for this or that use, not 

enough time; these are generic basics. But I 

also distinctly remember how my heart began 

pounding in my chest as the discussions 

moved on to race day. And in that beat it 

remained until we were live, in raw and 

amazing Patagonia. I learned very fast that 

complex corporate events are one thing. 

Extreme triathlons are a whole other. 

The guys had a very clear group 

understanding of what they wanted to happen 

and they had an astounding combined 

strength of will. But all their concerns were 

laid out in a somehow confusing manner. A 

bit like a man’s sock drawer. 

Crystal clear vision 

It’s understandable that emotion and 

anticipation can be overwhelming in 

situations like this. The competitors depend 

on your ability to pull it all together. In this 

case, it is not their careers that are at risk, 

but their well-being and, at times, their lives. 

And so, you think you ought to give your life 

to make it happen. When I observed this my 

role became clear; to make sure nobody did. 

It was so rewarding to run through the 

race with them in advance, to make them 

more detailed, organised and stronger. To 

help them agonise over every detail of plan 

B, C or D. To take chaotic know-how mixed 

with vision and desire and transform it into 

a structured and functional timetable. But 

most of all, it was wonderful to help them 

realize that although we were planning so 

the athletes had the safest and most beautiful 

race of their lives, so the should crew. 

For all of us to make things happen 

exactly as envisioned, we also had to be 

rested, fed, happy and safe. Call it experience 

or woman’s touch, but I like to think it 

makes a whole lot of difference. The smiles 

and feedback we were given after the race, 

every thank you, and each individual story 

of overcoming adversity proved this to 

me. The aftermath reminded me how true 

it is that an event can change lives. I know 

Patagonman has changed mine forever. i 

CARLINHA CARVALHO 

SANTIAGO, CHILE 

Photo: Patagonman. 

Photo: Steve Ashworth 

64 65

Photo: Max Montecinos 

66 67

Overcoming 

doubts 

Photo: Scott Xtrails Houffalize. 

Eline Koers was born and raised 

in the Netherlands but now lives 

in the UK and works as a scientist. 

Having done a PhD six years ago 

she is now researching hormone 

receptor folding. As is the case 

with many Dutch people, she grew 

up on a bike and the challenge of 

getting to school on time while 

running late perhaps developed 

her strong legs and a desire to seek 

that thrill of physical exertion. 

ELINE KOERS 

NOTTINGHAM, UK 

Now, on top of her scientific 

research, Eline trains for 

endurance events and extreme 

triathlons. Here she describes how 

she overcame the myriad of doubts 

that plagued her before her first 

attempt to complete the Norseman. 

Text: Eline Koers. 

I 

was attracted to extreme triathlon by the 

beauty of the locations and the promise 

of a serious challenge. I have now started 

three extreme triathlons and before every 

single one of them, I had doubts whether I 

would make the finish line. From the outside, I 

appear confident. Perhaps people see a picture 

of me prior to my first race, holding my bib 

and sporting a confident grin. But what they 

don’t see is that I was crying the day before that 

race, doubting my decision to travel with a full 

support team from the Netherlands to Norway. 

The challenge was daunting and the odds were 

stacked against me. But these feelings are often 

the reality of racing extreme triathlon. 

Photo: ICON XTRI 

A little push 

I registered for my first XTRI under mild peer 

pressure: Two good friends decided to register 

for the Norseman lottery and I wanted the 

68 69

opportunity to race with them. As I 

studied the odds for the lottery, I knew 

there was only a slim chance we would all 

get a slot. 

But I wasn’t even sure I wanted a 

place. I was still recovering from the 

Epstein-Bar Virus and my body was 

a wreck. The previous year had been 

a rollercoaster. I was diagnosed, but 

following ill advice, I still undertook 

a taxing training schedule for my first 

triathlon. I finished the race, but I was 

becoming more and more fatigued. My 

fitness declined despite training and 

eventually I had trouble even getting out 

of bed. 

Then a small miracle happened; the 

draw gave both me and one of my friends 

a place in the following year’s Norseman. 

My first reaction was to decline, it 

seemed impossible that I would be ready. 

But, on the other hand, I really wanted to 

do the race together with my friend. We 

could train and prepare together and I 

knew it would be so much fun. Perhaps 

this opportunity would never appear 

again. So, I threw caution to the wind 

and accepted. 

Analysis paralysis 

Given the state of my health, I knew I 

had to do everything to prepare myself 

in every way. Then I could only hope 

my body would respond favourably and 

be ready for the race in nine months. 

Together, my friend and I analysed the 

previous year’s slowest times for people 

that made it through the cut-offs. We 

read weather reports, checked for the 

snow height on the Hardangervidda 

and spent evenings reading reviews of 

triathlon gear. I found a coach with XTRI 

experience, made a detailed race and 

nutrition plan and instructed my support 

team until they could dream the details. 

As the weeks passed, my body 

slowly began to respond to the training, 

and despite a few setbacks I was 

becoming a little more optimistic about 

the race. That was until three weeks 

before the race, when I developed a foot 

injury and was unable to wear cycling 

or running shoes without being in 

agony. My training stopped in its tracks, 

and I thought all was lost. A couple of 

days before the race I had a crisis of 

confidence. I still couldn’t wear shoes 

without pain, so I wondered how on 

earth was I going to finish a fourteen 

hour race? My amazing support team 

convinced me to start anyway and see 

how far I could get. 

Zombies 

In the event, adrenaline coupled with 

three weeks of anti-inflammatory 

medication did the job. The ice-cold 

wind cooled my heel through 

my bike shoes on the 

Hardangervidda, and I found 

I could keep going. But by the 

time I reached the run the day 

had warmed up. As I put my 

running shoes on for the first 

time in four weeks I was totally 

unsure what to expect. After 

a few uncertain miles, the 

pain stabilised and was able 

to run. At the foot of Zombie 

hill, I finally started to believe 

I could make it and I felt a 

tentative spring creep back 

into my step. Despite all the 

odds being stacked against me, 

I made the cut off for the top 

finish. As I crossed that finish 

line, I was full of joy. The race 

remains an important memory 

for me, since it marked the end 

of a period of my life that was 

dominated by tiredness, and it was the 

moment I knew I had my health back. i 

Image caption. 

Photo: XXX 

Photo: Koen van Meeuwen 

70 71

72 73 

Photo: Ido Holtkuile

As my stroke rate started to drop 

rapidly, and my brain began to fog, 

I knew I was in trouble. 

I kept swimming. I could see 

the shore now and I told myself 

to toughen up. I tried to pick up 

my stroke rate, but the blood 

had begun to rush to my core, 

protecting my vital organs, and 

leaving my arms with nothing to 

fire up the muscles. As I swam my 

swim-skin clad body started to 

shudder involuntarily. 

The adrenaline of race day had 

abandoned me, and I felt sleepy 

and weak. 

Text: Caroline Livesey. 

A 

few strokes later I stopped and looked 

around for a kayak to help me, but 

by now the amateur wave in wetsuits 

were cruising past me and I was just 

a hat bobbing in a sea of thrashing. I couldn’t see 

any safety boats. I looked again for the shore and 

as swimmers bumped into me, I realised getting 

there was my only option. For the first time in 

my life I felt really scared of drowning. 

I swam with what little power I had left, 

and eventually I stumbled on to the shore. For a 

reason that is still not clear to me I wove my way 

like a drunk person through transition and got 

on my bike and went on to finish the race. I don’t 

remember much of the first hour of the bike, 

except a brief conversation with another athlete 

who asked if I was ok. With a 10 C air temp, I 

was sitting up on the hoods of my TT shivering 

uncontrollably and it was probably clear I was not. 

I warmed up eventually, but the damage was 

done. Ironman Frankfurt was a disaster, and I was 

more exhausted after than I have ever been post- 

Immersion 

Photo: Wagner Araujo 

74 75

ace. I discovered that a few PROs had ended up 

in hospital with hypothermia after the swim, and 

one of the toughest girls in the sport had retired 

on the bike. 

Frozen with fear 

That race in 2016 embedded a fear of cold water 

in both my body and mind. After it, if I had to 

swim in cold water I would start to imagine being 

freezing long before getting in. My body would 

tense up and I would know I was going to hate it. 

I avoided it when I could, but I was even getting 

cold in some cooler swimming pools. I got into 

a vicious cycle of avoiding feeling cold and so 

becoming less and less adapted to the cold. My 

tolerance reduced and my beliefs were reinforced 

by numerous events. I became convinced it was 

just how I was, despite having plenty of evidence 

from before the event that proved otherwise. I 

grew up swimming all the time in the cold North 

Sea, usually without a wetsuit, and I have always 

loved all types of open water swimming. 

Then I won the Canadaman XTRI 

and was offered a place for the XTRI World 

Championships at Norseman for 2020. I had 

always said I would never do Norseman because 

of the cold water and weather conditions, it just 

“wasn’t my forte”. But I stood on the podium 

for Canadaman and picked out the lucky female 

lottery winner of the other Norseman slot, and 

then watched her as she whooped and cheered 

and ran to the podium to get her place. Her 

excitement shone a light on how ridiculous my 

fear was. I knew then I had to find a way to 

overcome it. I accepted the place and swore I 

would not be the person on the ferry who jumped 

last out of fear and then couldn’t finish the swim. 

If I was going to race I would do it well. 

So at the start of 2020 I took the plunge, 

literally. On 1 Jan I stripped off for a dip in the 

12 C Mediterranean in my swimsuit. It was 

unbearable. I think I managed five front crawl 

strokes before I was running for the beach. The 

water felt painfully cold, stabbing my skin like 

tiny knives. I remember being downcast after 

the experience, wondering how I was ever going 

Photo: Siona Graham-Brown. 

CAROLINE LIVESEY 

MALLORCA, SPAIN 

Photo: Colin Henderson 

to overcome those feelings. It just did not feel 

physically possible. 

Of course, it is physically possible. People 

swim at the North Pole in sub zero water. In 

fact a man recently did an ironman in 

Antarctica. Yes, I know. Completely 

impossible to imagine. But that proves 

that it is physically possible. The 

challenge is a mental one. I knew I had 

to commit to the process of adaptation 

and get my brain on board. The body 

will follow if you convince it to, we are 

always capable of way more physically 

than we think. Our brains have 

survival as their priority after years of 

evolution. But this evolution has also 

prepared us to be able to survive cold 

conditions, it is just that in historical 

contexts humans did not go from 

heated houses to a freezing lake. The 

changing seasons would have readied 

them for the temperature changes. 

These things take time. 

Adapt and survive 

There are a few ways to get used 

to cold conditions in your daily 

life, and I started to embrace them 

wholeheartedly. Have you ever switched your 

shower to the “damn that’s cold” setting midway 

through? What is the automatic reaction of 

the body? Short, sharp breaths or sometimes a 

complete breath hold followed by a few squeals. 

That was the first thing to overcome. As any yoga 

nut will tell you, the breath is so important in 

relaxing the body and mind. Over the course of 

weeks I learnt to anticipate the cold water in the 

shower with a deep relaxing breath, breathing 

out as it hit me and fighting the urge to gasp 

and squeal. As you do this the body begins to 

associate the cold water with relaxation instead 

of the flight response, and it gets easier and 

easier. There are so many well documented 

benefits of cold showers and swims, including; 

improvements to circulation, immunity, short and 

long term mental health, libido and stress levels. 

76 77

If you can embrace them it is worth 

it. I continued the routine, but at this 

stage in the process I didn’t notice 

much of a change when it came to my 

open water swims. 

Then we went into pandemic 

lockdown, races got cancelled left, 

right and centre, and the weather in 

Mallorca started to heat up as we got 

into April and May. I kept up my coldwater 

adaptation in the shower, but with 

Spanish lockdown 

rules not allowing 

for exercise 

outside I had no 

opportunity to 

swim. By the time 

we were out of 

lockdown the sea 

was lukewarm, and 

cold showers are 

no hardship when 

you are dripping with sweat. I wondered 

if the conditioning had all been pointless. 

Then in June we went back to 

Scotland for two months and I was 

finally able to put it to the test. Norseman 

had been cancelled by this stage, but I 

wanted to know if my techniques had 

worked and how long I could extend 

my ability to swim in Scotland’s coastal 

waters and lochs. With few other 

challenges on the horizon it became a 

necessary physical goal for me, and I 

knew if it had worked it would give me 

confidence for Norseman 2021. 

Deep love 

Over the next two months something 

unexpected happened. I started off small, 

with wetsuit swims and the odd nonwetsuit 

dip here and there. But before 

long I was diving straight in with no 

wetsuit and absolutely loving the feeling 

of the icy water on my skin. I learnt 

to relax as I hit the water, breathing 

deeply and focusing on the sensations 

instead of trying to avoid them. There is 

something so delicious about that first 

envelopment of the cold water. I began 

to look forward to it, diving into the 

crystal-clear turquoise sea. Or wading 

out into the dark lochs and submerging 

myself in the velvet waters. Then I began 

to crave it. It was a weird thing for me 

to experience my fear and loathing being 

replaced by that craving. It was like the 

water was calling 

me, inviting me in 

“It was like the water 

was calling me, 

inviting me in for 

that endorphin hit. „ 

for that endorphin 

hit. It became 

a daily practice 

while I was out in 

the Hebrides, and 

soon I was able to 

spend 15 minutes 

sea swimming 

nonchalantly 

when in previous years I had only lasted 

20 neoprene clad mins. I realised the 

magnitude of what I had achieved when 

I went swimming with a few other PROs 

pre-race at the Helvellyn Triathlon back 

in September. I was running late and 

they were already waiting for me with 

their wetsuits on. I knew the swim would 

be a short one as they had a race the next 

day, and despite having already been 

in for my cold water hit that day, I was 

craving that feeling again. I jumped in 

with just my swimsuit on with complete 

pleasure, while they gasped at the cold 

temperatures and ice-cream headaches 

despite being layered up. Turns out even 

the ice-cream headaches stop after a 

while. At that moment I was really aware 

of how far I had come, how much my 

body and mind had adapted, and how 

truly astounding that is. 

All the months of work had paid 

off, and in doing that work I had found 

an even deeper love for open water. i 

Photo: Mark Livesey 

78 79

A vision for 

your future 

The forecast was for 58 degrees F (14 degrees C), 30% chance of rain and 20 

mph NW wind. Hmmmm… As I was reading this, the texts came in; „ Not riding 

today…“, „ Yikes the weather seems tough…“, „ Not going to make it…“, 

„ The Peloton is sounding awesome…“. 

Just me and my Cervelo tackling the weather then. 

Text: Sami Winter. 

As I was cycling in the crazy wind, no 

rain (thank you), and somewhat chilly 

conditions, the thought came to me; this 

is Norseman, this is Swedeman, this is 

Xtreme (well, for North Carolina that is). As both a 

coach and an athlete, I relish the days I can send my 

athletes out for a session in these tough conditions. 

Coaching the Xtreme triathlete is not just about 

improving fitness, but also making them tougher, 

more resilient and, most importantly, more adaptable. 

Andrew Fast, one of the XTRI coaches gives 

this advice: “Run the mile that you’re in. Nothing 

ever stays the same. After you grind up the hill you 

get to coast back down. The headwind may shift to 

a tailwind after the next turn, the rain may stop and 

clouds could reveal an incredible view. But until they 

do, run the mile that you’re in.” 

Focus on the moment and be adaptable 

The very definition of Xtreme Triathlon sets the tone 

for coaching. These events tend to take more time 

and are more challenging than your typical long 

course race. The swims can be in cold water and 

remote locations. The cycle leg climbs and climbs, 

80 

SAMI WINTER 

NORTH CAROLINA, USA 

COACHING 

NETWORK 

At XTRI World Tour we realise that it can be daunting 

to take the first step into the world of Xtreme Triathlon. 

We have teamed up with the best XTRI specific coaches in 

the business to offer you the possibility of receiving a training 

program tailored to your XTRI journey. XTRI is different from 

traditional long course events in many ways. 

Our races are tougher, more technical, include altitude and 

ascent, cold water, trail running sections and of course the 

support element is also something to seriously prepare for. 

Team up at xtriworldtour.com/coaching 

Photo: Matej Rumansky 

xtriworldtour.com/coaching

Photo: We Run Race Photos 

and that’s before you get to the run which will 

include some technical mountain trails. All of 

these aspects come together to make the athlete 

fatigue faster, use energy stores at a quicker rate, 

and so force most to slow down as the 

race progresses. 

The physical and mental aspects of racing 

complement each and to be the best prepared 

athlete on race day you need to train both. In 

order to be prepared physically, strong is often 

the word I use to describe the training plan. 

Strong, robust, and resilient. Having the ability to 

create power when fatigued stops the pace from 

slowing too much. But you also must be able to 

ingest enough calories and process those calories. 

These are key aspects of the training process 

which coaches call: power endurance, fatigue 

resistance and a fat adapted or happy tummy. 

Honestly, Coach Sami calls that a happy tummy! 

Consistency is key and by placing these factors 

in a well periodized plan, you will be able to find 

your way up the mountain. 

Be specific 

James “the Iron Cowboy” Lawrence, suggests: 

“The secret to success in triathlon and frankly 

in life is consistency. We will all inevitably miss 

a workout here and there, but as long as you are 

as consistent as possible and you chose to keep 

showing up, you can’t lose. The secret is doing a 

lot of little things consistently over a period of 

time. Be patient, be consistent, and you WIN!” 

If you have a knowledgeable XTRI coach, 

who has had experience with many different 

athletes their plans can propel you to success. 

However, it will also take YOU consistently 

doing the work and finding conditions that 

mimic your race. If you are sensitive to the cold, 

that absolutely does not mean you aren’t fit for 

the day. It simply means you may need better 

equipment, more cold water adaptation before 

the race, or more clothing for the mountain 

run. If you are sensitive to heat then know your 

body is able to handle and process a higher fluid 

load, but that you may need to adjust electrolyte 

intake. All of these tools take practice and also 

have a mental component. 

You can’t react to changing internal and 

external conditions on the day if you don’t know 

what your reaction should be. 

Coach Caroline Livesey, winner of 

Canadaman Xtreme Triathlon gives her athletes 

this bit of advice: “Get out and have adventures 

while training. Be specific. All of the XTRI 

courses cross extreme terrain, and you don’t want 

to be discovering on race day that, for example, 

you have the wrong shoes. Find similar terrain 

in your training environment and test your body 

and your kit. Mountain running is not road 

running and cold water swimming is not 20x100 

in the pool. You need to adapt before the race.” 

The secret sauce of coaching the Xtreme 

athlete is preparing them mentally to get through 

the day. There will be great times, there will 

be hard times and they will both come and go. 

Mental resilience is built while undertaking the 

hard training sessions in tough environments. 

But it is also more than that. It is about clothing 

preparation; knowing the course; having mantras; 

and feeling confident that you are ready. I have 

my athletes visualize their day in parts so they can 

imagine themselves on each section of the course. 

I also have them discuss their reason for choosing 

that particular race. Whether it be a “bucket list” 

destination, or a chance to challenge themselves, 

I have heard some amazing stories. We come 

up with a song that defines their entire journey 

and they can use that during the race. There is 

nothing like a bit of singing to lift the spirits. 

Imagine hearing Bon Jovi, It’s My Life, out there 

during the run. Guaranteed you would hustle up 

the mountain. 

Keep it social 

Lucas Benjamin of KAHA Multisport notes that 

mental preparation is a huge part of the XTRI 

journey: “The mental work for XTRI events is 

essential for the athlete to have the initiative to 

make good decisions during the competition. 

There are a lot of variables that can happen in 

XTRI races. Being ready to decide between plan 

A, B or C is critical for success and makes your 

82 83

experience unforgettable. This mental work must 

be polished throughout your preparation, with 

hard and challenging training. This care will make 

your race a day that will never be forgotten by 

you, and your entire support team.” 

I often find that it is the mental side of the 

equation where men and women differ. Men 

tend to be more confident; however, women 

have a mental toughness that will carry them 

to the finish line whatever happens. But both 

can be built through targeted training sessions 

and celebrating short term goals. For some 

athletes, including most women, it is important 

to plan quality sessions and not just build 

volume. Athletes may look at XTRI and doubt 

if it is achievable for them. But with a targeted 

plan built for the individual around specific 

physiology and life schedule, anyone can gain 

the confidence and fitness needed to accomplish 

their dream. For athletes who value the social 

aspect and teamwork of sport, XTRI’s are for 

them. The support system is everything. Some 

athletes love to plan, love to work with others, 

and possess a drive to never give up. Through 

planning, proper preparation and targeted 

sessions the black/ white/ yellow/ orange shirt 

can be yours. 


Vision 

Samir Rosolem of Patagonman XTRI: “An 

XTRI race starts months before the actual race, 

as it demands a lot of planning. Choose your 

support crew carefully and invest time and energy 

building with them your race plan. This is an 

individual sport, but your success depends on the 

team effort.” 

Back to my little Sunday jaunt. Well, I was 

solo, but as visions of Norseman 2021 flashed 

in my head, I thought the day was absolutely 

perfect. When it started to rain, I headed home 

for safety reasons and honestly, yes, I was a bit 

chilly. I thought of all of the athletes that I train, 

and debated how I could build their resilience. 

When I parked by bike back at the house, my 

final thought was: “Let’s start building a vision 

for your future.” i 

84 85

Photo: Duks Moreira. 

FELIPE DE OLIVEIRA MANENTE 

28th September 1988 – 8th September 2020 

Manente 


Text: Paula Gimenez de Souza (Felipe‘s fiancée). 

Felipe de Oliveira Manente, or simply 

Manente, started his journey as 

a triathlete at the age of 13 in the 

municipal school of São José city in the 

state of Santa Catarina, Brazil. 

His first trip abroad as a teenage athlete was 

to Canada, where he was unaccompanied and did 

not have the knowledge of the language, being 

totally motivated by the love of the sport. 

Dedicated and disciplined, he faced great 

challenges to improve himself in triathlon and at 

the age of 17 he moved to Espírito Santo to follow 

the dream of being an Olympic athlete, where he 

also graduated in Physical Education. 

Due to his endurance skills and body 

composition he naturally moved to long distance 

triathlon, competing in several Ironman events, 

always with excellent results. With great pride of 

his origin, he represented his hometown and his 

country whilst competing worldwide. One of his 

greatest joys was to accompany the children of the 

triathlon school in his hometown. 

Founder 

In addition to being an athlete, Manente 

also became a renowned certified coach. An 

experienced athlete and coach made Manente a 

respected and admired professional. 

To complete his journey and fully live in 

the sport, he founded in 2016 with 3 friends, The 

Fodaxman Extreme Triathlon, which later would 

become part of XTRI World Tour. 

Extremely dedicated and passionate, he 

was the one to hand over the Fodaxman finisher 

medals until the very last athlete would reach the 

top of Morro da Igreja. 

86 87

From humble origin, Felipe 

never stopped dreaming and 

struggling to achieve his greatest 

goals within the sport. Manente 

had a heart full of generosity 

and gratitude and away from the 

spotlight of his professional life, 

Felipe dedicated himself to family 

and friends, and his greatest mission 

in life was to contribute, at any cost, 

to the happiness of those he loved. 

He was a great life partner, 

we shared our routines, dreams 

and personal projects. Whenever 

possible, I accompanied him on 

his travels and nothing made me 

happier than watching him do what 

he loved most: competing. 

Reserved with a hearty smile, 

he conquered friendships around 

the world and left a great legacy: 

“Never give up, no matter how 

unfavorable are the conditions”. 

A small note from the Fodaxman 

organisers: 

It’s still hard to believe that Felipe 

passed away suddenly, doing what 

he loved most: training. But we 

promised him that his legacy of 

Fodaxman as a race organized by 

athletes to athletes will continue 

to guide us. 

From now on, his fiancée will 

replace Felipe to offer our medal 

to every athlete who crossed the 

finish line on the summit of Morro 

da Igreja. And we are sure he will 

be there with us in spirit. We miss 

you so much, my friend! 

Editor’s note: My husband and I 

were lucky enough to travel out to 

Brazil last year to race the Fodaxman. 

We asked the team for some 

help with our logistics when we 

arrived and we were put in touch 

with Felipe. 

He went out of his way to 

make us feel comfortable, and to 

help us in any way that he could. 

He and his girlfriend Paula were 

absolutely wonderful, welcoming 

us into their home and looking 

after our bike boxes for two weeks 

so we didn’t have to cart them 

about the country with us. 

Our time in Brazil was 

made richer by all the people 

we met there, but Felipe was 

the first and he set the tone for 

the whole trip. He was humble, 

hardworking, committed to the 

team and the race, friendly with 

such a contagious smile, and he 

was genuinely happy to see all the 

competitors taking part in such a 

phenomenal event which he had 

been instrumental in founding. 

His death is a reminder to us 

all that life is short, and we must 

all embrace it to the full each and 

every day. 

He followed his dream to 

become a professional athlete, but 

he also gave back to the community 

through the role he took in creating 

such an incredible event. He will be 

remembered fondly by so 

many, and his legacy will live 

on in Fodaxman. 

The team have established 

the Felipe Manente Award which 

will be awarded after the event 

each year to the athlete who 

“behaves during the race with an 

attitude that prominently values 

sportsmanship”. While this 

premature death will forever 

scar the team, I hope that 

through this award they can 

keep his spirit alive. i 


88 89

Sponsored by RaceID.com 

Greek Hero XTRI 

HimalayanXtri 

DATE: Apr 17th, 2021 

LOCATION: Corfu, Greece 

DATE: May 8th, 2021 

LOCATION: Pokhara, Nepal 

Photo: Stuart McInnes 

Photo: Getty Images 

90 91

Amazigh 

Xtreme Triathlon 

Celtman Extreme 

Scottish Triathlon 

DATE: May 29th, 2021 

LOCATION: Ouarzazate, Morocco 

DATE: Jun 12th, 2021 

LOCATION: Torridon and Shieldaig, Scotland 

Photo: Stuart McInnes 


92 93

Swissman 


Canadaman 


DATE: Jun 26th, 2021 

LOCATION: Ascona, Grindelwald, Kleine Scheidegg 

DATE: Jul 4th, 2021 

LOCATION: Lac-Mégantic, Canada 

Photo: Sampo Lenzi 


94 95

Norseman 


Swedeman 


DATE: Aug 7th, 2021 

LOCATION: Eidfjord to Rjukan, Norway 

DATE: Aug 14th, 2021 

LOCATION: Åre, Sweden 

Photo: José Luis Hourcade 


96 97

ICON Livigno 


Jánošík Slovak 


DATE: Sep 3rd, 2021 

LOCATION: Livigno, Italy 

DATE: Sep 4th, 2021 

LOCATION: Terchová, Malá Fatra, Slovakia 

Photo: iconxtri.com 

Photo: Robert Kovalcik 

98 99

Blacklake 


Starvation 

Extreme Triathlon 


LOCATION: Zabljack, Montenegro 


LOCATION: Utah, USA 


Photo: James Lawrence 

100 101

Hispaman 


Formosa 



LOCATION: Peñiscola, Castellón, Spain 

DATE: Nov 26th, 2021 

LOCATION: Taitung, Taiwan 

Photo: Jose Luis Hourcade 

Photo: Kenny Lu 

102 103

Patagonman 


Fodaxman 

Extreme Triathlon 

DATE: Dec 5th, 2021 

LOCATION: Coyhaique, Aysén, Chile 

DATE: Dec 11th, 2021 

LOCATION: Nova Veneza and Urubici, Brazil 



104 105

SCOTLAND 

Photo: Alessandro Annunziata 

Athlete: Angela Mudge 

Race: Celtman 2019 

106 107

The XTRI World Tour is a journey of amazing extreme triathlons in unique and spectacular places, where the richness of 

culture is tangible. It's a journey of exceptional people and their exclusive, diverse stories. It's a journey that will be different 

for every traveller, a journey of cold water swims, high mountain passes and beautiful wilderness trails. A journey where all 

athletes, supporters and crew will leave with new friends and lasting memories. 

Quite simply, it‘s a Journey like no other. 

www.xtriworldtour.com 

xtriworldtour 

xtriworld 

XTRI World Tour is supported by Innovation Norway. 

108

the Journey SECOND EDITION

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